


In the Shadow of the Bogeyman

by JuliaM (seshat0120)



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 46,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23636809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seshat0120/pseuds/JuliaM
Summary: Ezra finally has that tricky shoulder of his taken care of.  Unfortunately, a bogeyman from his past is on the loose again and wants to finish what he started with Ezra.Please note the use of some adult language.  Also adult situations are mentioned (not in great detail).(previously published under the title Hide and Seek)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was previously publishing this under the title Hide and Seek but took it down. I've made some slight alternations to it and am now publishing it under the title In the Shadow of the Bogeyman instead.

Two shoulder dislocations in a six-month period had been the final straw. Ezra had been informed that if he didn’t want to lose his field certification, he’d have to do something about his tricky left shoulder since it was a liability in the field if it could go out so easily.

He’d grudgingly made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon with the hope he’d be told some physical therapy would be enough to strengthen the shoulder and put a stop to the frequent dislocations. After x-rays and an MRI, he’d been informed that the only option to ensure the stability of his shoulder was surgery. Not wanting to be sidelined any longer than necessary, he’d scheduled it as soon as the doctor was able to fit him in.

Each of his teammates had offered to drive him to and from the hospital the day of the surgery. At first, he was resistant wanting to maintain his independence, but he’d quickly been worn down. It was finally agreed that Vin go with him the day of the surgery.

It was now two days before what he’d begun to think of as D-day. He was meeting with Dr. Majors, the orthopedic surgeon who’d be doing the procedure, one more time to go over any last questions. He was also scheduled to meet with the anesthesiologist to make sure there wasn’t anything that could cause problems with general anesthesia.

“You didn’t have to come with me,” Ezra said glancing over to where Vin sat to his left. “I would have been fine by myself.”

“Easier this way,” Vin replied. “There’s stuff I’m gonna need to know if I’m gonna stay with you after.” He took a good look at his friend. He knew Ezra would have looked calm and completely in control to anyone else but the way he was rubbing his thumb along his lower lip gave away his uneasiness to Vin. “You know, it’s ok to be nervous.”

Ezra looked over to Vin questioningly. “And just what makes you think I am?” He’d stopped rubbing his thumb along his lip only long enough to ask the question.

Vin looked at Ezra pointedly and raised his eyebrows.

“Damn it,” Ezra said softly and dropped his hand to his lap. Any conversation between the two men was curtailed when the Dr. Majors stepped into the office.

“Ezra,” the doctor said as he leaned over the desk and shook Ezra’s hand. Ezra quickly introduced Vin and explained that he’d be driving him to the hospital for the surgery and would also be staying with him after. “Your pre-op testing looks good,” Dr. Majors told him as he sat behind the desk. “We can go ahead with the surgery Friday morning as planned providing nothing comes up when you meet with Dr. Hinkle later regarding the anesthesia.”

Ezra nodded slightly in acknowledgement of the doctor’s words. “And you still think open surgery is the better option instead of arthroscopic?”

“I do,” the doctor agreed. “As we discussed, the Latarjet procedure will provide better stabilization for the joint and there’s less chance of recurrence. However, as I mentioned, the trade-off is the possibility of some loss of range of motion. Considering your line of work and that you seem to be a bit...”

“Accident prone,” Vin supplied with just a hint of a smirk ignoring the glare Ezra sent his way.

“Yes,” the doctor agreed trying not to smile as he caught the interplay between the two men. “I guess that’s a good way to put it. The Latarjet would definitely be the better option.”

“And recovery time,” Ezra prompted. Even though the doctor had gone over it with him during his initial exam when surgery was first suggested to deal with his problematic shoulder, he wanted to ensure he had all facts before making a final decision. Until he was in the OR and they were slicing his shoulder open, he didn’t consider his decision as final since he could still change his mind. “You said it’s about the same for both procedures and that they’re both day surgery.”

“On average, you should have full use of your arm within three to six months with either form of the surgery. Barring any complications,” the doctor continued, “you should be home the same day as the surgery. Again, that’s barring complications,” he repeated making sure he stressed the fact.

“And how long until I can return to work?” Ezra asked even though he knew the answer.

“Thought you said the doc’s already been over this,” Vin interjected. “You told Chris desk duty in three weeks,” This time he did outright smirk at Ezra. “Don’t think you’re gonna weasel your way back sooner. Chris isn’t going to let you in the front door until the doc signs off.”

The doctor did his best to cover a smile at both Vin’s words as well as the defeated look on Ezra’s face. “Mr. Tanner's correct. You’ll have to be out of work for at least three weeks. You’ll need to wear a sling for at least six weeks to make sure your shoulder is healing correctly, so you will have to take it easy. Assuming physical therapy goes well, I’d estimate at least three months post-surgery before you’re ready to resume your full duties.”

“Three months?” Ezra questioned.

“Don’t worry,” Vin said with an evil grin as he patted Ezra on the shoulder. “I bet Chris’ll have you catching up on all of our paperwork. I think I might have a couple of expense reports that need to be finished.”

Ezra shot an evil glare in Vin’s direction. It wasn’t so much that his friend suggested he do his work but more for the fact that he knew if he was stuck with desk duty, paperwork was all that he’d be doing. “Oh joy! I can barely wait. There must be some way to shorten the recovery time,” he pleaded with the doctor.

“Not if you want that shoulder to heal properly.”

“You don’t want to fool around with this, Ez.” Vin was completely serious this time. “You know you’ll never be recertified for field work if it doesn’t heal right. I don’t think you want to be stuck riding a desk permanently.”

Ezra conceded the point to Vin with a small nod of his head. He didn’t like that he had to have surgery. He liked it even less that he’d be dependent on others for a short time after the surgery. If he had to be completely honest, it almost terrified him to think that any of his friends would see him when he was in anything but complete control. The thought of being stuck on desk duty appealed to him even less.

“Well, if you have no more questions, I’ll see you Friday morning.”

Ezra thanked Dr. Majors for his time then he and Vin left the office. “My appointment with Dr. Hinkle is in fifteen minutes. If you want to go to the cafeteria and get some lunch, I can meet you there afterwards,” he offered.

Vin shrugged and walked along beside Ezra. “I don’t mind going to the appointment with you...unless you don’t want me to.”

“No. It’s not that. I just don’t want to put you out. You’ve already given up your time today and again on Friday. I...”

Vin pulled Ezra to a stop with a hand on his arm. “You’re not putting me out. Don’t you get it. I want to help you. Hell, any of the other guys would be happy to be here for you, too. It’s what friends do.”

“I know, Vin.” Ezra shrugged slightly. “Sometimes...” he trailed off not knowing what it was he wanted to say.

“I know. You’re used to going it alone. Well, you don’t have to do that anymore.” The last thing Vin wanted to do was to make Ezra any more uncomfortable with the situation than he already was. “Ok. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria after you see the doc.”

“Thank you, Vin,” Ezra said sincerely.

*******************

Vin was seriously contemplating sending out a search party. He’d been sitting in the cafeteria for nearly ninety minutes. Ezra’s appointment with the anesthesiologist was only supposed to be a consultation to go over his medical history and such but Vin was starting to wonder if something had happened. He was just about to get up and go to the doctor’s office to check on Ezra when he saw his friend come through the door.

“My apologies for the delay. I didn’t intend for you to sit here this long,” Ezra said as he sat at the table across from Vin. “Dr. Hinkle was running behind. I would have phoned you but there was a prohibition on cell phones in the office and I feared if I stepped out to the hall to phone you, that’s when my name would be called.”

“Bit of a Catch 22,” Vin said with a shrug. “No problem. I was just getting a little worried it was more than just a consultation.” He gestured to the food lines. “You want to get something to eat before we head out?”

Ezra looked in the direction Vin had gestured and did his best to repress a shudder. “I think I’ll pass on hospital food if you don’t mind. I’ve had more than my fill of it when I’ve been admitted.”

“Can’t blame you.” Vin held up the paper coffee cup that was on the table. “I couldn’t bring myself to have more than the coffee.” He got up from the table followed by Ezra. “What do you say we stop and get some real food before heading back to the office.”

“Don’t you think we’ve been gone long enough. I’d rather not tempt Chris’s good graces.”

Vin tossed the empty cup in a trashcan as he walked by it and shrugged. “Chris knows how these kinds of appointments can go. He’s not going to be a hard-ass if we’re gone a little longer to get some real food.”

It took just a couple of seconds for Ezra to mull over what Vin had said before he agreed. “I’m treating, though. It’s the least I can do to pay you back.”

Vin wrapped a companionable arm around Ezra’s shoulders. It didn’t surprise him when his friend tried to shrug out from under it. It didn’t matter how long he’d been with the team and that he’d allowed his relationship with his teammates to progress from colleagues to friends, he still didn’t like to be touched unless it was on his terms. As subtly as possible, Vin tightened the hold so Ezra couldn’t escape it. Most times he’d let him escape but there were times he needed to be reminded that his friends cared. “How many times do I have to tell you? You don’t have to pay me back for any of this. I’m happy I can help you. There’s no…squid pro quo,” he finished using a phrase he thought he’d heard Ezra use in the past. “Understand?”

Ezra gave a little shake of his head and the smallest of chuckles. “I understand, Vin. But…”

“No buts about it, Pard,” Vin cut in.

Again, Ezra gave a little chuckle. “I was merely going to say that it’s quid pro quo, not squid pro quo.”

“Quid? Squid? It’s all Greek to me,” Vin replied with a chuckle of his own.

This time, Ezra’s chuckle grew to a full-bellied laugh. “Latin, Mr. Tanner. It’s Latin.”

“Made you laugh.” Vin’s laughter joined Ezra’s, happy that he’d lightened some of the tension in his friend.

*******************

Despite his confidence that Chris wouldn’t mind that they were gone a little longer than had been anticipated, Vin still called to give him a heads up that they were finished at the hospital but were going to stop to get something to eat before heading back to the office. They decided to stop at the Saloon since it was close to the federal building.

Both men placed orders for burgers. Vin couldn’t help thinking how most people who didn’t know Ezra well would be surprised by the choice. He also knew that those same people would be surprised to find out that, when in the comfort of his own home, Ezra’s choice of attire was usually a pair of track pants and a ratty MIT sweatshirt. It had taken a while for Ezra to be comfortable enough to let his friends see him dressed down. As Ezra had let his friends more and more into his life, they’d found out that the man he let the rest of the world see wasn’t necessarily the man he was.

“How’d things go?” Vin asked once the waitress had left after bringing their drinks. In deference to the fact that it was still the middle of the workday, Vin had ordered a Coke and Ezra had ordered sparkling water. “The doc say anything?”

Ezra squeezed the lime on the side of the glass into the water then shook his head. “It was just a consultation…just my medical history, allergies, side effects I might have had to anesthesia in the past, what to expect before the surgery and after…that kind of stuff.”

“And…” Vin prompted. It wasn’t anything Ezra had said that made him think there might be more but, rather, the fact that his friend wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“It’s nothing,” Ezra said with a shrug. “She just felt that it might be beneficial if I took something the night before to ensure I have a good night’s sleep. She seemed to think I was nervous,” he finished with a forced laugh before picking up his glass and drinking from it.

“It’s normal to be nervous especially the first time you’re going in for surgery,” Vin reassured.

Ezra huffed out a small laugh. “It’s hardly the first time I’ve had surgery, Vin, or have you forgotten my appendix last year…among other hospital visits I’ve had.”

“Well, yeah, there’s that but this is the first time you’ve known about it in advance…first time you’ve had time to get worked up about it.”

“I am not,” Ezra started to loudly say then caught himself and modulated his voice. “I am not worked up about anything.”

“Whoa.” Vin held up his hands in surrender. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I didn’t mean anything by it. Anybody in his right mind would be a little nervous before surgery. It doesn’t mean you’re weak or anything.”

“I apologize for my outburst, Mr. Tanner. I know you weren’t trying to embarrass me.” Again, Ezra attempted to distance himself by picking up his drink.

Vin knew he’d hit a bit too close to the mark and Ezra was trying to distance him when he used ‘Mr. Tanner’ instead of his first name and sought to put his friend more at ease. “Hey, nothing to apologize for. How about we just forget it?”

“Thank you, Vin. Perhaps we can discuss it all later,” Ezra suggested as the waitress put his lunch in front of him.

“Later’s good,” Vin agreed. “Hey, you know, you never told any of us how this whole problem with your shoulder started. How’d you dislocate it the first time.”

Hearing the question, Ezra’s face paled noticeably, and he shifted uncomfortable. “It’s something I’d rather not talk about. It’s in the past and not something I think about.”

“No problem.” Whatever had happened, Vin could see it still bothered Ezra a lot and he was sorry he’d brought it up. The two men quietly ate their meal for a bit before Vin ventured a suggestion. He tried to keep it offhand and not related the previous discussion. “I was just thinking. How about I sleep over your place Thursday night. It’d probably be easier since you need to be at the hospital so early. That way, I can catch a bit more shut eye.” He made sure to make the suggestion about his comfort knowing it would be easier for Ezra to accept the offer.”

“That would be acceptable,” Ezra readily agreed.

They spent the rest of their meal avoiding any further discussion of the upcoming surgery or the original cause of the shoulder problems.


	2. Chapter 2

Friday morning came far too early for Ezra’s liking. Contrary to what he’d said to Vin at their lunch, he had taken the Valium Dr. Hinkle had prescribed before going to bed the previous night. He’d been doing his best to hide just how uneasy he was with the upcoming surgery but, by the time he left the office, he knew no one was fooled.

Trusting others wasn’t something that came easy to him and that’s what was being asked of him right now. He had to trust the doctors and nurses to see him through the surgery safely and trust his friends to take care of him after the surgery. The very idea of being dependent on or letting anyone see him vulnerable or scared - even his closest friends - was abhorrent to him. Somehow, he’d equated that with his friends losing respect for him. _Appearances are everything, darlin’_ his mother would always tell him as a child. That included the appearance of always being in control.

He was just pushing the covers off his body and sitting up in bed when a soft knock came at the bedroom door. “I’m up, Vin,” he called out as he wearily climbed from the bed. He was glad that he’d agreed to Vin spending the night. He hadn’t been fooled when his friend had suggested it would be easier for him and allow him to sleep later. Sleeping late and Vin were not normally said in the same sentence. Vin had suggested that to spare his feelings and he was grateful for that. He was also grateful for his friend’s presence the previous night since he’d kept him from spending the whole night worrying about the surgery.

Another soft tapping at the door prompted him to open it. “I’m awake, Mr. Tanner or did you not believe me.”

“I believe you,” Vin answered with a grin. “I just know how you like to fall back to sleep if you don’t get your butt out of bed. Now that I know you’re up, I’ll just…” he trailed off with an apologetic face as he was about to suggest breakfast. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Ezra answered guessing what it was Vin was going to say. “Even if I could eat or drink, I don’t think I’d be up for it.” He gestured in the general direction of the kitchen. “Feel free to avail yourself of whatever’s in the refrigerator or cupboards.”

“Thanks, Ez. And don’t worry. Once you get home later, I’ll make you a nice big pot of coffee.”

Ezra couldn’t help grimacing. “Please, Vin. Spare me. I’m sure my stomach will be touchy enough from the drugs.”

“You just don’t know good coffee, Ez,” Vin said as he patted his friend on the shoulder. “I’ll let you get ready.”

Fifteen minutes later Ezra walked into the kitchen. For a moment, Vin was taken by surprise when he saw him. It wasn’t often anyone saw the other man dressed down. He knew Ezra had been advised to wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing and to make sure he had a shirt that either buttoned or zipped since a pull on would be extremely difficult to get on after the surgery. Ezra had heeded the advice and had on a pair of well-broken-in track pants and a zip front sweatshirt. His damp hair had been finger combed in place instead of the usual styling. This was the man Ezra rarely let the public see.

“You ready to go,” Vin asked not making any comment about how Ezra looked.

“I’m not sure ready is quite the word I’d use but…yes. Let’s get this done and over with.”

Knowing there wasn’t anything he could say that would lessen Ezra’s trepidation, Vin simply patted him on the back.

The two men grabbed coats and headed outside. As Vin started to walk to his Jeep, Ezra intercepted him and handed him the key fob for his Jag. “I’d rather not get in that deathtrap you call a vehicle.”

Vin was torn between being offended at the description of his Jeep or being excited to be trusted to drive the Jag. He decided on a bit of each.

*******************

If Ezra hadn’t been sitting next to Vin, he would have guessed his friend had broken speed limits and disregarded all stop lights and stop signs since they arrived at the hospital so quickly. In reality, he knew it was because of the early hour and lack of traffic. He sat hesitating once the car was parked. It was ridiculous but somehow, he felt he was going off to his doom.

“You ok?” Vin could almost feel the trepidation coming from Ezra and was sure the other man was ready to bolt instead of going into the hospital.

“Fine,” Ezra replied with a tight smile before taking off his seatbelt and opening the car door. “Let’s get this done.”

Vin shadowed the other man until they reached the doors to the hospital. He reached out a hand stopping Ezra from going in. “Look, I just want you to know, I know how you feel, and you can trust me.”

Ezra gave Vin another small, tight smile. “I know, Vin. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t be here.” Without another word, he strode through the doors into the hospital. Any nervousness or fear he may have felt was carefully camouflaged under a veneer of confidence that he drew around himself like armor. He may have allowed Vin a peek into how he was really feeling but he would not allow the rest of the world to see it if he could help it.

*******************

The registration process went quickly, and the two men were directed to a waiting room. They were the only ones there and Vin watched as Ezra paced in front of the windows overlooking the parking lot. Several times, he rubbed at the bracelet that had been put on him at registration. “They put that on too tight?” Vin asked after the fifth time he saw Ezra rub at the bracelet.

Ezra stopped his pacing and turned a distracted look in Vin’s direction. “What?”

“The bracelet,” Vin said nodding towards Ezra’s right wrist. “You keep rubbing it. Thought it might be tight or something.”

Ezra followed Vin’s gaze and saw that he was grasping his right wrist. He pulled his hand away as if he’d been burnt. “No,” he replied trying to maintain an air of nonchalance. “It’s not exactly my idea of an ideal accessory. I do prefer something a bit more upscale than plastic.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Vin matched Ezra’s tone. “The green does compliment your eyes.”

“Ha ha.” Ezra resumed pacing but quickly stopped. “What’s taking so long? You’d think if they’re going to have me arrive at this ungodly hour they could at least be on time. There’s no one else here.”

“Keep your shirt on, Ez. I’m sure someone’ll be out here before you know it.”

Vin’s words proved prophetic as a moment later a nurse came into the waiting room asking for Ezra. “That would be me,” he said raising his hand slightly.

“My name’s Lauren,” the nurse introduced. “I’ll be taking care of you until they take to the OR. Mind if I just check your bracelet?”. She confirmed the information printed on the bracelet matched the information on the clipboard she’d brought with her. “Ok. If you’ll just follow me, we’ll get you set up in the pre-op holding area.” She turned to Vin. “Once Mr. Standish is settled, I’ll come get you and you can wait with him until they take him to the OR.”

“It’s Ezra,” Ezra corrected as he followed Lauren back to a room that wasn’t much bigger than his cubicle at work. A stretcher in the middle dominated the space with a chair tucked into one of the corners. She handed him a hospital gown. “You can either put your belongings in one of the lockers just outside the door or give them to your friend to hold on to. I’ll let you get changed and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Ezra watched Lauren leave then walked over to the door. He leaned against it banging his head lightly. His hand strayed over to the lock. He could turn it and lock himself in the room and everyone else out but that would just cause a delay. No doubt if she couldn’t get in when she came back, the nurse would just call security to open the door. With his luck, he’d probably find himself moved to the psyche ward instead. He pushed away from the door and started to take off his clothes.

“Stupid,” he muttered when he unzipped the sweatshirt and realized that he’d put on his father’s St. Matthew medal. He’d worn it every day since his mother had given it to him when he was eighteen and it had become second nature for him to put it on each morning when he dressed. He took it from around his neck and placed it on the stretcher. He’d have to give it to Vin to hold on to.

Ten minutes later when Lauren came back to the room, he was sitting on the side of the stretcher dressed in the hospital gown and his socks. The room was cold, and he wasn’t about to give them up yet. He’d placed his clothes in one of the lockers outside the door. He was holding on to the key from the locker, his wallet and the medal planning on asking that Lauren give them to Vin for him.

When she saw how tensely Ezra was holding himself, Lauren asked, “You doing ok?”

“Well enough,” Ezra answered then held out the objects he was holding. “Would you be able to give these to Mr. Tanner to hold on to for me?”

“I’m just going to take some vitals, ask you some questions, and get an IV going and then I’ll bring him back here to sit with you. You can give them to him then.”

“Very well.” At Lauren’s direction, Ezra turned around on the stretcher to sit with his back against the upraised portion. He said nothing while she took a set of vitals. Only when she was done did he ask, “Everything ok?”

“Your blood pressure is up a bit but that’s to be expected under the circumstances. Now I just have a few questions.” She picked up the clipboard and verified past medical history as well as allergies. “I’m just going to get an IV going on you now,” she told him once she was done checking his medical history. “It’s just saline.” The IV was quickly established on the first try. “You’re doing great,” she told him with a smile. “Dr. Majors and Dr. Hinkle will be in to see you soon. In the meantime, I’ll let your friend know he can come sit with you.” She clipped the call bell to the sheet covering the stretcher where Ezra could easily reach it. “Just ring if you need anything.”

*******************

“Doing ok?” were the first words out of Vin’s mouth when he walked in the room. He’d meant to make a joke about the hospital gown, but he didn’t feel this was the time.

“I’d be doing a lot better if everyone stopped asking me that,” Ezra testily responded. He pulled in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Vin. I guess I’m a little….”

“Nervous,” Vin finished for him. “It’s all right.” He pulled the chair a little closer to the stretcher and sat. As he did, he noticed Ezra was holding something. “What’ve you got there?”

“Hmm. Oh.” Ezra held out the wallet, key and medal. “I was hoping you could hold these for me until after. I put my clothes in one of the lockers outside, but It didn’t feel right putting these in there. The key’s for the locker.”

“Sure thing.” Vin accepted the items. He slipped Ezra’s wallet into his back pocket and dropped the key and medal into his shirt pocket. He knew the medal once belonged to Ezra’s father and was one of his friend’s most cherished possessions. The last time he could remember seeing it anywhere other than around Ezra’s neck was when his friend had been rushed to the hospital with appendicitis. “I’ll keep them safe for you.”

The two lapsed into silence. After a few minutes, Vin noticed how Ezra had his arms wrapped around himself. “You cold?”

“It is a bit chilly in here,” Ezra agreed. “I’ve never understood why they keep hospitals so cold.”

Vin got up from the chair and started to head for the door. “Let me see if I can get you a blanket or something,” he offered.

Ezra waved off the offer. “I’ll be fine. Really.”

“Ok,” Vin agreed as he resumed his seat. “But if you change your mind.

Again, the two men lapsed into silence. It was broken a few minutes later by a knock and then the door opening as Dr. Majors came into the room. “It shouldn’t be too much longer,” he assured Ezra. “We just need to go over a few things. Can you tell me the type of surgery you’ll be having and where?”

“Don’t mean to butt in but shouldn’t you know that already, doc?” Vin asked.

“It’s a safety measure, Mr. Tanner. Before any surgery, we verify with the patient to make sure we’re all on the same page.” Dr. Majors turned back to Ezra and raised his eyebrows as he waited for verification of the surgery.

“My left shoulder. You’ll be doing a…I believe you called it an open Latarjet procedure to stabilize the joint.”

“Exactly.” Dr. Majors handed a clipboard and pen to Ezra. “I just need you to sign and date the surgery consent form.”

Ezra accepted the clipboard and quickly read through the form on it before signing and dating it. Dr. Majors took it from him when he handed it back and put it down on the stretcher. “Now, I just need to autograph your shoulder.” He pulled the gown away from Ezra’s left shoulder and initialed it with black marker. “Another safety procedure,” he explained. “If I don’t see my initials, I don’t cut.” He capped the marker and pulled the gown back into place. “Do you have any questions?”

“I believe you’ve thoroughly explained what the surgery and recovery will entail,” Ezra responded.

“Good. If you do have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let the nurse know. I’ll see you in the OR.”

“About how long is the operation,” Vin asked as Dr. Majors started to leave.

“Barring any unforeseen complications, the surgery should take anywhere from ninety minutes to two hours. Once Ezra has been moved to the PACU, you’ll be notified.

“Thanks, Doc. Oh, and can Ez get a blanket or something. He said he was cold earlier.”

“I’ll ask the nurse to bring one in,” Dr. Majors responded as he left the room.

“I know. You told me you were fine.” Vin said before Ezra had a chance to say anything. “You still look cold.”

Ezra pulled in a breath and let it out slowly as he reminded himself his friend was only looking out for him. “Thank you,” he said instead of contradicting or chastising Vin for speaking for him.

If Vin was momentarily surprised at Ezra’s easy acquiesce, he didn’t show it. “Ok, then. What is PACU anyway? They tell you?”

“I believe Dr. Hinkle said it was post anesthesia care unit…more colloquially known as recovery.”

“Oh. That makes sense.”

There was an awkward silence between the men as neither could find an appropriate topic of conversation. Thankfully, they were saved from any attempts when Lauren came into the room with the requested blanket. “I hear someone’s a little chilly,” she said as she draped the blanket over Ezra. “We like to make sure if any polar bears wander in, they’ll be nice and comfy,” she added with a wink.

“I’m sure they’d be quite comfortable,” Ezra replied as he grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it up over his shoulders.

“Course, anything under seventy has ol’ Ez here complaining about how freezin’ it is,” Vin added perpetuating the levity.

Ezra arched an eyebrow in Vin’s direction. “Old, Mr. Tanner?

“Ah, you know I don’t mean anything by it.”

Lauren laughed softly at the byplay between the two men. “Dr. Hinkle should be in here in a little bit.” She made sure the call bell wasn’t covered by the blanket and where it could easily be reached. “Just ring if you need anything else.”

As the nurse left the cubicle, Vin reached over to straighten the blanket where it had snagged on the IV tubing. When he did, his hand brushed against Ezra’s arm. “Damn! You feel like an ice cube.”

“I’ll just be glad when this is over.”

“That’ll be in just a little while,” Dr. Hinkle said as she came into the room. “We just need to go over a few things, get you to sign the anesthesia consent and it’ll be just about time to take you to the OR.” She put the clipboard with the form down on the foot of the stretcher and reached for Ezra’s wrist to check his wristband. “I see they made sure you have an allergy bracelet.” Seeing the confusion on Ezra’s face she explained, “Green means you’re allergic to Penicillin. Last thing we need is for you to go into anaphylaxis.”

“And here I thought it was ‘cause it matches your eyes,” Vin joked.

“Please excuse my compatriot, Dr. Hinkle. On occasion he endeavors to prove how humorous he is…even if he does often miss the mark quite frequently.”

“Ouch. Low blow, Ez.”

“I thought it was kind of funny.” Dr. Hinkle held out her hand to Vin. “I assume you’re Ezra’s ‘responsible adult’ to drive him home.”

“Vin Tanner, ma’am.”

“The jury is out on the responsible part,” Ezra added with a smirk.

“Well, it’s still out on the adult part for Ezra,” Vin quickly returned.

Dr. Hinkle let out a small laugh at the antics of the two men. “You guys ever thought of taking your act on the road?”

“Tanner and Standish…comics extraordinaire. I think it has a certain ring. How ‘bout you, Ez?”

“Standish and Tanner,” Ezra corrected. “And I think we’d probably die on stage nightly. We best stick with our current profession…it’s safer.”

Again, Dr. Hinkle let out a laugh then picked up the clipboard again. She handed it to Ezra with a pen. “Just to review what we talked about at your consultation, we’re going to be using general anesthesia for the surgery. You talked about how you’ve had issues in the past with nausea and vomiting after anesthesia so we’re going to try to mitigate that as much as we can. Normally, I would have you put on a scopolamine patch last night but, since you’ve had an adverse reaction to that in the past, we’re going a different route. I’m going to have you take some Emend now and I’ll be administering Zofran once you’re in the OR. That should mitigate nearly all post-operative nausea.”

“So, there’s still a chance I’ll be ill from the anesthesia,” Ezra clarified.

“Unfortunately, even if you had used the Scopolamine patch, there isn’t a hundred percent guarantee of no nausea or vomiting. I'll have orders for Zofran in the event you do have any post-operative nausea. Questions?”

Ezra shook his head no, understanding what he’d been told.

“If you can just sign and date the consent, we’ll be all set.”

As he had with the surgery consent, Ezra read through the form before signing it and handing it back to the doctor. “Do you know how much longer?”

Dr. Hinkle accepted the form back. “It won’t be too much longer. Lauren should be in in a few minutes with the Emend. I’m also going to start you on some Versed now. That’s going to make you feel very drowsy and relaxed. Unless you have any other questions, I’ll see you in the OR.”

Once Dr. Hinkle had left, Ezra pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He started toying with the IV where it disappeared into his arm. “Best leave that be,” Vin advised. As tense as Ezra now was, he thought he might have to bodily keep him on the stretcher.

Ezra guiltily snatched his hand away. “Tape itches,” he mumbled.

“Uh huh.”

Another knock on the door heralded Lauren’s return. She came in the room with a tray with two syringes on it. One was filled with a light pink liquid and the other a clear one. She put the tray down on the counter and picked up the syringe with the pink liquid. She compared the information on the label of the syringe with the information on Ezra’s wristband. “This is the Emend Dr. Hinkle wants you to take. I just need to squeeze it into your cheek.” Ezra grimaced at the taste of the medication. “I know it tastes horrible, but I can’t give you any water to wash the taste away.” She put the empty syringe on the tray and picked up the other one. Again, she compared the label with the wristband. “I’m just going to inject this into your IV. It’ll start to work right away, and you’ll feel really sleepy and relaxed.” She injected the medication into the IV then snapped the safety rails in place on either side of the stretcher. “Just rest. They’ll be in in a few minutes to take you to the OR.”

Ezra sluggishly nodded his head and watched the nurse depart through blurry vision.

Vin was able to tell the medication had already started working as Ezra began to blink his eyes rapidly trying to keep them open. He stood up from the chair and rested one hand on the safety bar. “Don’t fight it, Pard. Just do like the lady said and rest.”

“Mmmm,” Ezra muttered. If it weren’t for the circumstances, it would have been almost comical the way he kept trying to keep his eyes open. “Socks,” he mumbled and made an abortive move to reach down to his feet.

Vin put a hand on his friend’s chest to keep him still. “Hey. Easy. I’ll get your socks. You just stay still.” He moved down to the end of stretcher and flipped the blanket away from Ezra’s feet and pulled off the socks. He knew someone would take the socks off in the OR but if it kept Ezra calm, he’d do it for him. He balled the socks up and tossed them on the chair. “Stop fighting it,” he said when saw Ezra still trying to keep his eyes open. “It’s ok to sleep.”

“I’m afraid, Vin,” Ezra breathed out before losing the battle with his eyes.

“I know, Ez,” Vin whispered. He knew how embarrassed and ashamed his friend would be if he remembered making the admission. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

There was silence in the room until two orderlies came in to take Ezra down to the OR. During that time, although Ezra didn’t say anything, Vin knew he wasn’t completely asleep. He kept gently patting his arm and reassuring him he’d be fine.

Once the stretcher was out of the room, Vin pulled the key from his pocket and looked at the number on it. Finding the corresponding locker, he unlocked the door and tossed Ezra’s socks in on top of the rest of his neatly folded clothes. As he was locking the door, Lauren approached him. “Mr. Tanner, if you’d like, you can wait in the waiting room or cafeteria. Someone will let you know as soon as the surgery’s been completed.”

“Thanks,” Vin said as he left the room. He’d call Chris to let him and the others know Ezra had been taken to surgery then he go down to the cafeteria and see if he could find anything good to eat.


	3. Chapter 3

“God damned, incompetent, son of a bitchin’ jackasses,” burst out of Chris’ office following the slamming of his phone. Sitting at their desks, Buck and JD traded looks. With Ezra and Vin at the hospital and Josiah and Nathan in court testifying, they were the only other ones in the office.

“Don’t look at me. I’m not going in there.” JD studiously turned back to his computer and the expense report he’d been working on.

“I suppose you think I should?” Buck questioned as he kept looking towards Chris’s office where a string of curses was still emerging.

“You’ve known him longer than me.”

“Yeah...well...well...” Buck deflated a bit realizing he didn’t have a comeback. “Fine but if I’m not back in five minutes, you better get a janitor to clean the mess.” He pasted a smile on his face and went as far as the door to Chris’s office. “Problem?”

Chris broke off mid-tirade and whirled to face Buck. “Problem? I’ll say there’s a problem. You remember Sebastian Gabriel?”

“Sebastian Gabriel?” Buck nodded slowly once he placed the name. “Wasn’t he involved in Ezra’s last case in Atlanta. The lunatic who was kidnapping kids and selling them.”

“Yeah. The guy who threatened to find Ezra, blow off both his kneecaps and skin him alive,” Chris added.

Buck moved into the office and sat on one of the chairs in front of Chris’s desk. “So, what about him?”

“He just won an appeal on a technicality. Seems some moron – not Ezra - questioned him without informing him of his Miranda rights first. And, since his original attorney never argued that at the trial, they added ineffective counsel for one of the reasons he won the appeal.”

“Crap. When’s he getting out.”

Chris got up from his desk and started pacing. “That’s the really great part. He’s already out and has been for three days. Last anyone knows, he was boarding a flight for Denver two days ago.”

“Shit!” Buck exclaimed fully understanding his boss’s anger. “They just got around to notifying us now?!”

“Yeah.” Chris kicked the wastebasket by the desk sending it tumbling. “They claimed it was a clerical error.” He pulled in a deep breath trying to reign in his anger. Sebastian Gabriel was known to be a dangerous man. What may have seemed like an idle threat coming from anyone else was serious coming from him. There were no two ways about it. Ezra was in danger as long as Gabriel was running lose. Right now, he needed to make sure his agent was safe. There’d be time enough later for anger. “Get JD and get to the hospital. We’ve got no idea where this guy is right now and that makes Ezra a sitting duck. I’ll let Vin know what’s going on and get in touch with hospital security. From here on out, I don’t want Ezra by himself. Once Josiah and Nathan get back, I’ll fill them in.”

“We’ll get on it.” Buck got up and started walking to the door but stopped and turned back. “What are you going to do about this ‘clerical error’?”

Chris dropped back to his chair and reached for the phone. “Once I’ve got these calls squared away, I plan on taking that up with the judge.”

*******************

It had been nearly two hours since Ezra had been taken up to surgery. After letting Chris know that Ezra had been taken to the OR, Vin had made his way to the cafeteria. He’d been happy to see that they had a shipment of doughnuts from a local bakery. The bowl of raisin bran he’d had at Ezra’s had been an adequate, if not appetizing, breakfast. Now, he was ready for something a little better. Three of the doughnuts and a cup of coffee – weak by his standards – were a more than adequate second breakfast.

He’d been back in the outpatient surgery waiting area for well over an hour now. Based on what Dr. Majors had said, he thought the surgery must be nearly over. He was just reaching for another outdated magazine when his phone rang. “Still not out yet,” he answered when he saw the caller ID was Chris.

“We have a problem,” Chris said. “Long story short, Sebastian Gabriel is out and somewhere here in Denver. Presumably, he’s going to carry through on his threat to Ezra.”

“Shit!” Vin exclaimed. Catching sight of the disapproving look his outburst received from the only other person in the waiting room, he pulled the phone away and quickly apologized before asking, “You think he’s coming for Ez?”

“What do you think? Buck and JD are on their way there, but I want you with Ezra. I don’t care if it means you’re sitting outside the operating room door, in recovery with him…hell, I don’t care if you have to sit on his bed. We’ve got no idea if Gabriel already found Ezra and could have been following him. I’ve already spoke with hospital security. Someone should be coming to talk with you soon. In the meantime, get yourself wherever Ezra is.”

“Consider it done.” Vin was already up and on the move, looking for someone who could tell him where the operating room was. He saw Lauren coming toward him and waved her over then finished the call with Chris. “Anything else I need to know.”

“That’s all we know now. Keep him safe, Vin.”

“It’s a done deal, Chris. Let me talk to the nurse and find out where Ezra his.” Vin hung up the phone and met Lauren halfway.

“I was just coming to find you, Mr. Tanner,” Lauren said. “Your friend is out of surgery and they’re going to be moving him to the PACU. Dr. Majors should be coming to talk with you, but I wanted to let you know.”

“I need to know where this PACU is,” Vin said as he pulled his badge and ID from his pocket.”

“I’m sorry,” Lauren said. “Only hospital personnel are allowed back there. Once he’s moved back to the holding area, you’ll be able to sit with him until he’s discharged.”

Vin showed both his badge and ID. “You don’t understand. We’re both ATF agents. I just got a call from my boss. Ezra’s in danger and there could be an attempt on his life. I’m to stay with him until other agents get here to guard him.”

Lauren glanced at the ID and badge then gasped in shock at Vin’s explanation. “I don’t…this is highly irregular,” she stuttered.

“Are you Agent Tanner,” a hospital security guard asked as he approached the two. In answer, Vin showed him his badge and ID. “We’ve been advised by a Chris Larabee that you’re to be in physical proximity to a patient, Ezra Standish, as a guard. Do you know what Mr. Standish’s status is?” he asked Lauren.

“He’s just being moved to the PACU now.” Lauren was clearly flustered by the turn of events. “He should be there in a few minutes.”

“If you’ll follow me, Agent Tanner, I can take you there.”

As Vin started to follow the security guard, he heard running steps behind him followed by his name being called out. He turned to see Buck and JD hurrying up to him. “You guys made good timing.” He quickly introduced Buck and JD to the security guard who escorted the three of them to the PACU.

When they arrived, the security guard waved over the charge nurse and explained the situation as the three agents pulled out their id and badges to show her. “I’m going to need to be in the room with Ezra,” Vin explained. “Agents Wilmington and Dunne will be stationed just outside the door.”

The nurse quickly looked at the ID’s presented to her. Although she was also taken aback by the unique turn of events, she managed to hide it a bit better than Lauren had. “Mr. Standish is just being brought down now. Once he’s settled, I’ll bring you back to him.”

“Ma’am,” Vin started to protest until the nurse cut him off.

“Once he’s settled, Agent Tanner. I understand that you’ve been charged with guarding him, but we also have a duty to him as well.” The nearby elevator dinged, and they all looked toward it as a stretcher was wheeled out. “That should be him. It should only take a few minutes to get him settled.”

They all stood back as the stretcher was rolled by them and they caught their first glimpse of Ezra. He was still unconscious – or at least that’s how it looked to them. His left arm was held in place with a sling and immobilized to his chest. A nasal canula still provided oxygen and an IV dripped into his arm. To the three agents, he looked unnaturally still.

Buck let out a low whistle. “They’ve got him trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.”

The three agents fell in step behind the stretcher stopping just outside the room when the nurse held up her hand. “A few minutes,” she reminded them.

“Chris have any idea how the hell this happened?” Vin asked once the stretcher had disappeared into the room.

“Clerical error,” Buck spat out as if the words tasted vile. “Like we’re supposed to believe that.”

“Buck,” JD said in warning. The entire drive to the hospital Buck had ranted about the ineptness of the FBI in failing to notify Ezra of Sebastian Gabriel’s release. He was convinced it had been done on purpose. Although JD was inclined to agree, the hospital didn’t seem like the place for Buck to start ranting again.

“You think they didn’t notify Ez on purpose,” Vin clarified.

“Hell, you know there are a few agents Ezra worked with who still have it in for him. Wouldn’t surprise me if one of them told Gabriel were to find him.”

“C’mon, Buck,” JD chastised. “That’s a pretty serious charge. I don’t think even they would do that.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re still innocent, Kid.”

“I’m not...” JD started to defend himself but Vin cut him off.

“This isn’t the place, guys. Chris wasn’t clear on what’s going to happen once they release Ezra. He say anything to you?”

JD gave Buck one more dirty look. “He and the Judge are working on getting a safe house set up and we’ll move Ezra there.”

“He is not going to like that,” Buck pointed out.

“Well, he doesn’t have to like it.” Vin carefully scanned the corridor they were standing in then looked back toward the door to the room where Ezra had been taken. “He’s going to be in no condition to protect himself and, even if he was, he still wouldn’t be going it alone.”

“Agent Tanner,” the nurse said as she came out of the room. “You can come back now. You gentleman will have to stay out here,” she told Buck and JD.

“Planned on it, ma’am.”

Vin followed the nurse through the door into the PACU. The central area was dominated by monitors of different types. Several glass-walled cubicles were around the perimeter or the room. There were patients in several of them. The nurse lead Vin to one of the furthest from the door where Ezra had been taken. “He’s going in and out of consciousness right now,” she explained. “He may be a bit disoriented and confused as he wakes up more. It’s important that he stay calm. Just reassure him that he’s safe. I also think it’s best not to tell him why you’re here until you’ve spoken to his doctors.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Vin agreed. He took in all the medical paraphernalia surrounding his friend. “Is he ok? That looks like a lot of stuff and he doesn’t look so great.”

“He’s doing as well as expected after surgery.” She gave Vin a comforting smile. “This is why we usually don’t allow loved ones into PACU. It can look scary with all the monitoring equipment. Don’t worry, he’s doing quite well. If you or he need anything, my name is Maria but any of the other nurses will be able to help. His doctors will also be by soon to check on him.”

“Thanks.” Vin sank down on the chair next to the bed. He didn’t notice one in any of the other cubicles so assumed it had been brought in for his comfort. He studied his friend closely. Despite all the wires and tubes, he seemed to be resting comfortably. He just hoped he’d wake up quickly and there’d be no problems getting him out of the hospital and under wraps as soon as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

Vin had only been with Ezra for a few minutes when Dr. Majors came. “I hear you fellas have decided we needed a little excitement,” he joked as he checked the monitors attached to Ezra.

“You gotta know Ezra, doc. He lives for excitement,” Vin joked back before turning serious. “How’d things go.”

“Other than one small hypotensive incident…his BP dropping…the surgery went as expected.” Seeing the concern on Vin’s face when he mentioned the blood pressure incident, he quickly reassured him. “It was very minor and quickly handled. When Dr. Hinkle comes by, she’ll be able to explain more.”

Vin nodded accepting the explanation. “Is he going to have to stay tied up like that long?”

“He’s going to need to use all of this for a couple of days.” Dr. Majors started to point out the medical equipment used to keep Ezra’s shoulder in place. “The sling and immobilizer are supporting his arm as well as keeping him from moving the shoulder.” He rested his hand lightly against the piece that was directly on Ezra’s shoulder. “This is a cryo cuff. It’s providing both compression in the area as well as keeping it iced.” He traced the tubing that came from the cuff to what looked like a small cooler on the table by the bed. “This is filled with ice water and it circulates through the cuff. It will help with pain as well as swelling. Over the next couple of days, he should have it on twenty minutes out of every hour. Before he’s discharged, a physical therapist will be in to explain how to put it on and off as well as the immobilizer and sling. He’ll need help with those for the first couple of days.”

“He’ll have all the help he needs,” Vin assured. “Heck, it’ll probably be more than he wants.”

“I’ll leave him in your capable hands, then.”

As fast as Dr. Majors left the cubicle, Dr. Hinkle showed up. “Your friends outside take their job seriously. I didn’t show the younger one my ID fast enough and I thought he was going to have me down on the floor.”

“JD can get a little intense,” Vin agreed. “Especially when the safety of his friends is on the line. Dr. Majors was just here. He said there was some kind of problem...Ezra was hyperactive or something.”

Dr. Hinkle quickly hid a smile when Vin misspoke. “Hypotensive,” she corrected. “Shortly after anesthesia was administered, he had an incident where his blood pressure dropped, and he was hypotensive. It was quickly corrected and there were no other incidences during surgery.”

“So, what caused it?”

“Right now, it appears it was idiopathic...there wasn’t any specific cause. I am going to recommend he follow up with his primary care physician, though. I’m just going to do a quick check now.” She studied the read outs on the monitors then turned to Ezra. She rubbed her knuckles in the middle of his chest and called his name loudly. After a few moments, Ezra’s eyes rose enough to see a sliver of green. “Hey there,” Dr. Hinkle said with a smile.

He studied her face carefully for a few moments before breathing out, “Hi,” and letting his heavy eyes close again.

“He’s always is hard to wake up,” Vin pointed out.

“He’s probably going to keep drifting in and out for a while and he’ll probably have some confusion as well. The best thing is to just reassure him that he’s safe.”

“I can do that.”

“Ok. I’ll leave you now. If you have any concerns, let Maria or one of the other nurses know and they can have me paged. I’ve left orders for Zofran just in case he has any nausea when he wakes. There is one other thing.” She gestured that Vin join her outside of Ezra’s cubicle. “I’d rather not tell him why you and your associates are here until he’s been moved out of PACU. I don’t want to put any more stress on him so if you can hold off until he’s been moved back to the outpatient surgery area, that would be very helpful.”

“I’ll do my best not to say anything but you gotta know Ezra. He’s pretty perceptive and might figure out something is up on his own.”

“That’s understandable,” Dr. Hinkle agreed with a nod. “It’s still best to keep his stress level as low as possible. If does ask and it looks not telling him anything will be worse, try to keep the explanation as simple as possible and have me paged.”

“Yes, ma’am.” As Dr. Hinkle walked away, Vin went back into Ezra’s cubicle.

*******************

A small groan drew Vin’s attention to the man in the bed. It had been fifteen minutes since Dr. Hinkle’s visit, and he was showing more signs of waking up. Vin had been very careful to stay out of the way of staff during that time but as long as Sebastian Gabriel was out there somewhere possibly gunning for Ezra, there was no way he was going to let him out of his sight.

Vin slid forward on the chair and gently patted Ezra’s free hand. “You’re ok,” he said softly as he waved Maria over. “I think he’s waking up,” he told her.

“Mr. Standish? Ezra?” she called. “Can you open your eyes for me.”

Slowly, Ezra’s eyelids fluttered until, finally, a small sliver of green was visible. His eyes slowly flickered back and forth as he fought confusion. Finally, he caught sight of Vin. “Mr. Tanner,” he whispered.

The nurse nodded at Vin to respond since Ezra had recognized him. “I’m right here.” He squeezed Ezra’s hand just a little more. “You’re safe.”

Ezra’s brow knit together in confusion and he struggled to move his left arm even though hit was secured to his chest. “Mr. Tanner…Vin,” he said anxiously. “What happened? Why am I tied up?”

Again, the nurse nodded at Vin to take the lead. He gently placed his hand on the other man’s left forearm trying to still his struggles. “You’re not tied up, Ez. You had an operation, remember? They fixed that shoulder of yours so it doesn’t keep popping out. You need to keep it real still for a while so there’s a bandage on it.” He thought it best to keep it simple and not try to explain the cryo cuff, sling, and immobilizer…at least not until Ezra was firing on all cylinders.

“Operation,” Ezra parroted back.

“Yeah, Remember?”

Ezra stilled his struggles to move his arm. “I remember.” He licked his lips. “Thirsty.”

“I bet you are,” the nurse said. “I’ll get you something in just a second. I just need you to answer some questions for me. Ok?”

Ezra lazily swung his gaze over to the nurse. “’K,” he agreed.

The nurse proceeded to ask him some questions to ascertain his awareness as well as his pain level. “Ok, Mr. Standish. I’ll get you something for the pain and some ice chips,” she told him once he’d answered the questions to her satisfaction and said he was starting to feel pain in his shoulder. It only took her a few moments to return with a cup of ice chips and a syringe. She handed the cup to Vin and called Ezra’s name to get his attention. “I’m going to give you something for the pain. Your friend has some ice chips for you. We’ll see how you do with them and then we’ll try some water.”

While she injected the contents of the syringe into the IV, Vin spooned a few of the ice chips into Ezra’s mouth. “Bet that’ll feel good once it melts.”

“That should start working right away,” the nurse said once she injected the medication. Do you need anything else right now?

There was a pause before Ezra slowly shook his head ‘no’ as if he were marshalling his thoughts. He sought out Vin with his eyes. “More,” he hoarsely asked eying the cup of ice.

Vin quickly gave him another spoonful of ice. He was so used to seeing Ezra with his walls firmly in place that he found it a little disconcerting to see him so open and vulnerable right now.

“Wanna go home,” Ezra muttered after a few more spoonfuls of the ice. He made an aborted attempt to get out of the bed but couldn’t do more than raise his head and turn slightly on his side - unable to figure out how to escape the monitoring equipment and IV in his confusion.

“Hey. You need to lie still.” Vin was easily able to hold the disoriented man down with a hand on his chest. “You’ll go home soon enough.”

Ezra stopped struggling to get up and lay looking at Vin. He blinked his eyes a few times. Whether he was fighting the siren call of sleep or trying to clear the cobwebs to place who Vin was, was open to interpretation. “I don’t believe I feel very well,” he finally said after a few seconds.

Vin was surprised that Ezra managed to turn a few shades paler than he already was. He noticed the convulsive swallowing and quickly grabbed the kidney shaped bowl from the bedside table. He got it under Ezra’s chin just in time as the little bit of water from the ice chips made a very sudden reappearance. “Ok?’ he asked once Ezra had stopped gagging. Receiving a feeble nod in reply, he put the bowl to the side. He was just reaching for the call bell when Maria seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“Are you still feeling nauseated,” she asked as she checked Ezra’s pulse and glanced at the monitors.

“A bit,” Ezra whispered. A shudder ran through is body. “I’m cold.”

“It’s normal to feel chilled after surgery,” Maria explained. “Dr. Hinkle left orders that you could have Zofran if you started to feel ill. I’ll get it and a warm blanket for you.” She patted Vin on the shoulder as she backed away from the bed. “It’s all normal,” she reassured him.

She was only gone a moment before returning with the medication and a blanket that she handed to Vin. “I’m going to inject the Zofran into your IV and Mr. Tanner is going to cover you up with the blanket,” she explained.

Vin dutifully did as he’d been instructed. He suspected that Maria was having him cover Ezra with the blanket to give him something to do. He’d seen Nathan use the same tactic in the field when one of them was injured…give the others some simple task to perform to make them feel useful and allay worry.

“That should start working quickly but it may make you feel a bit sleepy.”

“Um, no offense, ma’am, but how much sleepier can he get?” Vin asked as he tucked the last corner of the blanket into place.

“Good point. Just relax, Mr. Standish, and let the medicine do its work.”

Once Maria had left, Vin settled down in the chair again. “You want to try some more of the ice chips?”

“Not right now,” Ezra softly responded.

For the next several minutes, the two men stayed in silence. Vin noticed that Ezra kept brushing his right hand against his chest. At first, he thought he was either in pain or having trouble breathing then realized it looked like Ezra was looking for something and realized what it probably was. “I have it right here.” He pulled the St. Matthew medal from his pocket and held it up so Ezra could see it. “Lift your head a little and I can get it back on ya.” Once he’d clasped the chain in place, Ezra reached up and enfolded the medal in his hand. “Know you like to keep your Daddy close,” Vin said in understanding.

As awareness slowly crept back to Ezra, so did embarrassment that Vin was seeing him in such a vulnerable state and seeking out a security object. “Hey, it’s ok,” Vin said seeing the blush of embarrassment. He hitched himself closer and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “You better not let any of the other guys know but...I’ve got this little bear. It used to be my Ma’s and I keep it in my bedroom. I can’t sleep if it’s not there.”

The corner of Ezra’s mouth turned up in a small, half smile. “I shall endeavor to keep you secret safe.”

“Well, now I know you’re starting to wake up more. You’re using bigger words.” Vin held up the cup of ice chips again. “You ready to try some more of these?”

“My stomach seems to have settled. I think it’ll be safe.”

As Vin started to spoon more of the ice chips into Ezra’s mouth, the two lapsed into silence. Maria or one of the other PACU nurses came by occasionally to check Ezra’s condition. After a half hour, they let him try some water instead of just the ice chips and promised that if that stayed down without any problem, he could have some juice or Jell-O.”

“What are you doing here, Vin,” Ezra asked as he sipped at the glass of water. He looked around the room he was in more alert than he’d been since being brought in. “If I’m not mistaken, this is still the PACU. I was told only medical personnel were allowed here.”

“Uh…yeah…that…uh,” Vin stuttered. He’d been hoping Ezra wouldn’t notice the discrepancy between his presence and what he’d been told earlier.

“Did something happen,” Ezra asked warily. At the same time, the beeping of heart monitor escalated, and Maria came hurrying over

“It’s nothing like that, Ez,” Vin quickly tried to explain. “Everything was fine with the surgery. I talked to the doc and he said everything went great.” He got up and backed away from the bed at Maria’s approach.

“Hey, what’s going on over here,” she asked as she grasped Ezra’s wrist to check his pulse. “Everything ok?”

“I was attempting to ascertain what Mr. Tanner is doing back here but he’s being evasive answering me.”

“Ah, I see. Why don’t you just relax, and I’ll page Dr. Hinkle.”

Ezra saw the look that passed between his friend and nurse and knew there was something neither of them wanted to tell him. “If something is wrong, I’d like to know. I sincerely doubt I’m going to relax waiting for the doctor.” He looked between the two when neither said anything. “Mr. Tanner, I demand you tell me.” The yawn at the end ruined the picture of firm control Ezra was trying to project.

“He’s not going to calm down until we tell him,” Vin pointed out to Maria. “He’ll probably get more upset.”

Maria pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Ok,” she agreed. “I’m still going to page Dr. Hinkle.”

One Maria had left the cubicle, Vin sat down and pulled the chair closer to the bed again. “Ok, I’m not lying about the surgery. That was fine. The reason I’m back here is because you need someone watching out for you.” He hoped it would be explanation enough, but Ezra had regained enough awareness that he wasn’t going to be put off so easily. “Chris got a call. Sebastian Gabriel is out…won his appeal or something. He’s been out three days, but they just got around to letting Chris know today. Two days ago, he boarded a plane headed here to Denver.”

At Vin’s explanation, Ezra pulled in a quick breath. “And you think he’s coming for me.”

“We all know how he threatened you, Ez. Why else is he going to come to Denver?”

Ezra’s mouth opened and closed a few times, but he couldn’t come up with a plausible explanation.

“Until he’s back behind bars, Chris doesn’t want us to let you out of our sight. We’re not going to give him a chance to get to you.”

“You can’t simply arrest the man just for coming to Denver,” Ezra pointed out. “If he hasn’t committed any crime, what reason is there to apprehend him.”

“C’mon, Ez. You know the guy better than us. It’s not a matter of if he commits a crime, it’s a matter of when. We’re not going to let him get to you,” Vin said emphatically. “Face it, until Sebastian Gabriel is back in prison where he belongs, you’re going to be stuck with us.”


	5. Chapter 5

What Chris wanted to do was slam the phone down – hard. Instead, he restrained himself and hung up quietly. Aside from the fact that it wouldn’t help the situation they were in; it also wouldn’t do anything for the headache that was starting to throb behind his right eye. After numerous phone calls that also involved Judge Travis, it was confirmed that Ezra not being informed of Sebastian Gabriel’s release really had been a simple clerical error and not intentional to put Ezra in danger. Unfortunately, the FBI was also interested in getting their hooks back in Gabriel and, as Chris was reminded, threatening a government official was considered a felony under Federal law and fell under the FBI’s jurisdiction. He was informed that FBI agents Nick Mahon and Karla Moyer were on their way to Denver. The throbbing behind his eye had reached a near crescendo when he’d heard Mahon’s name. He’d been Ezra’s partner just before he’d left Atlanta and Chris knew he’d fueled more than a few of the rumors about Ezra. He had until the next day to prepare his agent for the arrival of Mahon and Moyer. With any luck, maybe Ezra would be so high on pain meds he wouldn’t even notice them.

He pulled the bottle of ibuprofen out his desk drawer and dry swallowed a couple of them. He noticed Josiah and Nathan walking by his office having returned from court and waved them in. “How’d things go? I didn’t expect you back already?”

“Gibbons pleaded out, so we didn’t have to testify,” Josiah explained. “Seems quiet around here. You heard from Vin or Ezra yet?”

Chris waved the two into his office and gestured that they should take seats.

“Something go wrong with the surgery?” Nathan asked warily as he sat. “Ezra ok?”

“Last I heard from Vin, Ezra was still in surgery. There is a whole different problem, though.” Chris proceeded to brief the two on Sebastian Gabriel’s release, reminding them of the threats he’d made against Ezra. He then told them about the imminent arrival of the FBI agents from Atlanta.

“Isn’t Mahon…” Nathan started to ask before Chris interrupted him.

“He’s the one.”

Josiah shook his head slightly. “Well this is one big mess.”

Chris couldn’t help the chuckle that burst out of him. “I think that’s the understatement of the year.

“So, what are we going to do? Does Ezra know what’s going on?” Nathan asked getting them back on track.

“I’ve spoken with Judge Travis. He agreed that the safest course is to get Ezra into a safehouse…at least until we know what Gabriel’s up to. I made it clear to him and the FBI that we’re taking lead on this. We’ll be responsible for Ezra’s safety. I want to keep Mahon as far from his as possible. As far as what Ezra knows right now…he’s probably out of surgery by now but who knows if he’s in any state to either know about Gabriel or understand it. I was just going to check in with Buck and JD when you guys got here.”

“What do you need us to do, Chris?” Nathan asked.

“I need the two of you to get over to the hospital and relieve JD and Buck. I want JD back here and doing his computer magic to start getting a bead on where Gabriel is and Vin’s probably going to need some help keeping Ezra in check. He usually listens to you on occasion, Josiah.” 

“Really?” Josiah asked in surprise. “Ezra generally doesn’t listen to anyone if they’re telling him what to do.”

“I did say on occasion,” Chris wryly pointed out. “I’m hoping this is one of those occasions. As soon as I talk to Buck, I’ll let you know where to find him in the hospital

“On it,” Nathan said as he and Josiah got up. Once they’d left his office, Chris sat for a moment trying to figure out how things had gone sideways so quickly before he reached for the phone to check in with Buck. He wasn’t looking forward to telling Ezra about Mahon nor was he looking forward to trying to get the man to stay in place at a safe house. His only hope was that lingering effects from the anesthesia as well as pain medication would quell Ezra’s independent streak and keep him a bit more pliable and willing to let the others do what was needed.

*******************

As Josiah pulled his Suburban into the visitor lot at the hospital, Nathan disconnected from the call he was on. “That was Chris,” he told Josiah needlessly since the other man had figured out as much from the part of the conversation he was able to hear. “Buck told him they were moving Ezra back to the outpatient surgery holding area, so we’ll meet them there.”

“Did he say how things went or if Ezra’s been told?”

“Sounds like everything went as well as it was supposed to although Buck told him Vin said something about there being a problem with Ezra’s blood pressure just before the surgery, but it was addressed quickly. He also said Vin explained to him about Gabriel. Said Ezra seemed to understand but he’s still groggy from the anesthesia and pain meds. I guess we’ll know better when we get in there.”

“Let’s get in there, then.”

After a stop at the hospital security office where they explained they’d be taking over for Buck and JD, Josiah and Nathan were directed to the room Ezra had been moved to. It was the same one he’d waited in before he’d been taken to the OR. Buck and JD were standing guard outside of it which meant that Vin must be inside with Ezra.

“How are things,” Josiah asked as they neared the two. He meant the question both as a status regarding Gabriel as well as how Ezra was doing.

“It’s been quiet,” Buck answered. “No sign of Gabriel or anything out of order.” He jerked a thumb to the door he and JD flanked. “They brought him in about fifteen minutes ago. He’s still looking pretty woozy and a little green around the gills, but he knows what’s going on.”

“Can’t move worth a damned, though,” JD added. “They’ve got him all tied up.”

Nathan nodded. “His arm is going to have to be kept immobilized if it’s going to heal up right. Josiah and I are going to pop in and see how he’s doing then we’ll relieve you two. Chris wants you to get back to the office and see if you can get a trail on Gabriel and what he’s up to.

Josiah pushed open the door and poked his head in. “Just us, Vin,” he announced when he saw the other man tense. “You up to some visitors,” he asked Ezra when he saw him fix his unsteady gaze in the direction of door.

“Don’t mind if I don’t get up,” Ezra replied with a half-smile.

“Wouldn’t think of it with you looking all comfortable,” Josiah joked back. In truth, Ezra looked anything but comfortable. Josiah could see the bulky dressing peeking out from the top of the hospital gown Ezra still had on. In addition, there was the sling and band going around his friend’s chest keeping his arm still. There was a pinched, pained expression on Ezra’s pale face and, despite the heavy blanket draped over him, Josiah could see him shiver every now and then. “They treating you all right?”

Ezra pulled his right hand out from under the blanket and pointed to a plastic dish of green Jell-O on the nearby table. It looked like only a spoonful was missing from it. “They expected me to eat that,” he said distastefully.

“One bite and he was the same color,” Vin added.

“Anyone with taste buds would find that concoction vile,” Ezra countered.

“Well, you know you need to be able to eat something and keep it down if they’re going to let you out,” Vin fussed. “Maybe a different color will work. Lauren said she’d check to see what else they have.”

Nathan moved closer to Ezra and looked him over closely. As Josiah had, he picked up on the shivering and pained look. He twitched a corner of the blanket higher up over Ezra’s shoulders. “You haven’t been holding anything down,” he asked in concern. “Didn’t they give you something before the surgery to prevent that.”

“There was something. I don’t remember what,” Ezra answered. “Dr. Hinkle did indicate that it might not be a hundred percent effective.”

“As much puking as you’ve done, I’d have to say she was right.”

“Lovely imagery, Mr. Tanner.” Ezra shifted uncomfortably and reached to lightly rub his left shoulder before grimacing in pain.

“Don’t touch,” Vin admonished pulling his hand away. He checked his watch. “It’s almost time for the cryo cuff again. Maybe that’ll help.”

“Yes, because it’s not cold enough in here. Let’s strap some ice on as well. That’s a great idea.”

Nathan and Josiah traded looks with Vin at Ezra’s surly tone. Vin’s only response was a small shrug.

Having caught the unspoken questions between the three men, Ezra pulled in a deep breath and let out slowly then ran his free hand over his face. “I apologize. It’s not the fault of any of you gentleman that I’m not feeling very well or that there may be some psychopath out there looking for me. I thought this would all go much easier.”

Josiah patted Ezra lightly on the leg. “We understand, son. You’re not having the best of days.”

A soft knock came, and the door pushed open. “We’ve got a full house in here,” Lauren joked as she came in. She was carrying another plastic cup of Jell-O – orange this time, as well as cup of tea. She put both down on the tray table and moved it closer to Ezra. Pulling the lid off the cup, she handed it to him. “It’s just some peppermint tea,” she told him. “It might help to settle your stomach.” At his skeptical look she further explained, “I had hyperemesis gravidarum – extreme morning sickness – when I was pregnant with my first. Trust me, it helped. Just be careful since it’s a hot.”

Still looking skeptical, Ezra took a cautious sip from the cup then waited to see if it would set off a new bout of nausea. When nothing happened, he took another cautious sip.

“Try sipping at that for a while and then you can try the Jell-O again.” She saw a wince of pain flash across Ezra’s face. “Shoulder’s still bothering you?”

Ezra nodded slightly. “I’ve got a terrible headache as well.”

Again, Vin, Josiah, and Nathan exchanged looks. They knew if Ezra were complaining about the pain, it had to be bad.

“Let me check to see if there are any orders for Tylenol. When I come back, I’m going to check your dressing and hook up the cryo cuff again.” She looked to the other men in the room. “I’m going to have to ask a couple of you to step out when that happens. It’s a bit cramped in here.”

“Not a problem,” Nathan responded. “We just wanted to see how Ezra was doing.”

“You should go, too, Vin,” Ezra said as Lauren left. “You’ve been here since early this morning. You must be tired. I’ll be all right by myself.”

“No can do. Remember, Chris said one of us is to be with you at all times.”

“Then let one of the others. You need a break.”

“He’s right, Vin,” Josiah chimed in. “A break’s not going to hurt anyone. Why don’t you go back to the office with JD? I’ll stay in here with Ezra and Nathan and Buck will be right outside.”

“I though Chris said he wanted Buck and JD to head back,” Vin pointed out. He’d made a promise to stay with Ezra until he was released and wasn’t eager to go back on the promise.

“Chris won’t mind the change in plans,” Josiah assured him.

“Vin. It’s ok.” Ezra said softly. “Neither of us expected this. Josiah will be here. Go.”

“Ok,” Vin gave in as Lauren came back into the room. “Josiah, let’s you and me call Chris and let him know what’s up.”

Josiah nodded and pulled the door open. Vin, however, hesitated another moment. “Go,” Ezra told him when he saw the hesitation.

Vin nodded slightly. “If you need anything, you call me. Hear.”

“I hear.” Ezra waited until the door closed behind Vin and Josiah before he turned to Nathan. “They’re going to talk about me,” he pointed out as he accepted the Tylenol she held out to him.

“Probably,” Nathan agreed knowing it wasn’t worth trying to fabricate a story.

*******************

Once the door had closed behind them, Josiah and Vin quickly explained the change in plans to Buck and JD.

“How’s he really doing?” Josiah asked while Buck called Chris to give him an update.

Vin glanced back to make sure the door was closed and their voices wouldn’t carry into Ezra. “You saw him. He’s sick as a dog because of the anesthesia and the Gabriel thing isn’t helping. He’s not saying but I think that’s got him a lot more rattled than any of us might have thought.” He pulled in a breath and let it out. “I’d almost say it’s got him scared...and you know that’s not something Ezra admits to easily. And that’s on top of how shook the surgery already had him. Just...stay close to him and don’t take anything he says personally.”

“I didn’t plan on it.” As the door opened and Lauren and Nathan came out, Josiah patted Vin on the shoulder and started to move towards the door. “I best get in there with him.” Nathan put an arm out to stop Josiah before he went in and tilted his head toward Lauren. “Problems,” he asked.

“He’s in considerable pain and the nausea’s not letting up,” Lauren explained. “His BP’s also a little lower than we’d like it to be. I’m going to put a page in to have the on-call physician take a look at him. I’m also going to page Dr. Majors about the pain he’s still experiencing.”

Nathan nodded slightly. “What about the nausea and vomiting. I thought they’d keep in recovery until that was controlled.”

“You have to excuse Nathan,” Josiah explained. “He’s got a medical background.”

“And he’s a bit of a Mother Hen,” Buck added.

“Ah. Well, they did have it controlled…or thought they did before Ezra was moved back down here. It started up again only after he was here. We’re managing it with Zofran, but we’re not have complete success.”

“Just one more question. Buck said he had some problems with his blood pressure during surgery. Could that still be causing an issue.”

“I really can’t say. He might need his pain meds adjusted and they might want to keep him overnight. It’s going to be up to the on-call and Dr. Majors. Right now, it’s best to keep the number of visitors with him to a minimum and to let him just rest.”

“So much for simple day surgery,” Vin said with a shake of his head.

“He is not going to like it if he has to stay,” Josiah predicted. “I best get in there with him before he decides to use an air vent to escape.

When Josiah went back into Ezra’s room, he thought for a moment the other man really was trying to escape as he struggled to pull himself toward the tray table. It took Josiah a second to realize Ezra was trying to reach the kidney dish before he rushed to his assistance. Unfortunately, he was also a second late getting it to Ezra in time. “It’s ok,” he soothed as Ezra collapsed back against the pillow. The small amount of tea and Jell-O he’d been able to force down now graced the blanket over him. Josiah balled it up and dropped it on the floor. He spotted the call bell and pushed it. “Just settle down,” he soothed as he took some tissues and wiped his friend’s mouth. “We’ll get you cleaned up in a jiffy.”

Ezra let out a small moan and wearily covered his eyes with his hand. “Light’s too bright,” he whispered. “Cold.”

“We’ll get that fixed up,” Josiah said as he brushed Ezra’s hair back from his forehead. “Just hang in there.”

As he spoke, the door opened, and Lauren came back in. “There a…” she started to ask then noticed the blanket on the floor and the state Ezra was in.

“He vomited again,” Josiah told her in a low, calm voice. “Can we get something to clean him up and another blanket.”

“Of course. Let me just check him.” Lauren moved to the opposite site of the bed from Josiah. “Ezra,” she called softly as she gently pulled his hand from his eyes. “Can you open your eyes for me for a little bit.” When he opened his eyes enough that she was able to see a sliver of green, she smiled down at him. “Hey there. Can you tell me if you still feel like you’re going to be sick?”

“No,” Ezra whispered and shook his head slightly. “Just hurts and it’s cold.”

“He said the lights were too bright,” Josiah added.

“Ok. I paged the doctor and he should be here soon. I’m going to get you a clean gown to put on and another blanket. I can’t do anything about the lights, but I’ll get you a cool washcloth to put over your eyes. How does that sound?”

“Thank you,” Ezra whispered then moved his arm over his eyes again.

By the time the on-call doctor arrived, Lauren and Josiah had gotten Ezra cleaned up and redressed in a clean hospital gown with a warmed blanket tucked in over him. A cool washcloth lay over his eyes blocking out some of the light from the room. “Sleeping” the doctor asked Josiah as he approached the opposite side of the bed.

“No,” Ezra answered as he pulled the washcloth away from his eyes and squinted in the direction of the doctor.

“I’m Dr. Richards,” the newcomer introduced himself. “I’m the on-call physician. I see you’re not having a good time of it.”

Ezra studied the doctor for a moment. The man was exceedingly young looking. Pain, exhaustion, and sickness had Ezra blurting out, “Forgive me, but you don’t look old enough to drive a car let alone be a doctor.”

Dr. Richards had the good graces to chuckle at the accusation. “I get that a lot. Trust me, I’m more than old enough to do both…and have the student loans to prove it.” He consulted the iPad he had which had Ezra’s patient chart on it. “Looks like you’ve been having some side effects from the anesthesia including a headache.” He waited until Ezra nodded slightly. “I’m seeing you also have a history of migraines. I’m thinking that might be part of the trouble you’re having right now. Can you tell me if you had any kind of aura before the headache started?”

“There might have been. I really can’t say.”

“Ok. You might not have had one. Do you remember the last time you had a migraine?”

Ezra thought about the question for a few seconds and realized it had been quite a while since he’d last has a migraine. He’d had them frequently when he was with the FBI in Atlanta. His doctor then has thought stress was a big contributor to them. There’d been a few when he first transferred to Denver and the ATF, but he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had one. “I think it’s been a couple of years…maybe three.”

“Ok.” Dr. Richards read the notes in Ezra’s chart regarding the security precautions. “It looks like you’ve had a little extra stress than what just surgery might cause.” He closed the cover of the iPad and rested it on the edge of the bed. “I really suspect that it’s a migraine along with the anesthesia. Have you taken anything in the past when you had migraines?”

“Um…Im…Imitrex,” Ezra replied.

“And you had good results with it.?

“Yes.”

Dr. Richards picked up the iPad again and made notations in it. “I’m going to start you on Sumatriptan, then. I’d also like to keep you overnight. You’re BP’s been low. That can be caused any number of things including stress, the pain you’ve been experiencing, or dehydration from the vomiting. Since you did have a hypotensive incident in the OR, I think it’s best to keep you under observation for the night and make sure there are no other problems. Now, until the nausea and vomiting are under control, I’d like to limit what you’re taking in orally so that’s going to mean keeping the IV in place to build your fluids back up.”

Ezra let out a sigh but nodded agreement with the doctor. That, alone, told Josiah just how badly his friend was feeling. He reached out to squeeze Ezra’s good shoulder in support. “What about the shoulder pain. He seems to be experiencing a fair amount of it.”

“I’m going to let Dr. Masters address that. He should be here shortly.” He looked between Ezra and Josiah. “Unless either of you gentlemen have any other questions, I’ll leave you to rest. A nurse should be in shortly with the migraine meds.”

Once Dr. Richards had left, Josiah took the washcloth that Ezra was still holding and draped it over his eyes again since he was still squinting against the light. “That helping out any.”

“Some. Thank you.”

“No problem.” Josiah started to brush the hair back from Ezra’s forehead again hoping it might help to keep his friend calm. “Why don’t you try to rest.”

A few minutes later, Lauren came into the cubicle. She first injected the prescribed medication into Ezra’s hip then asked if there was anything else he needed.

“It seems I’m a bit thirsty now. Could I get some water?”

“I’m sorry. Dr. Richards wants us to restrict what you’re taking in orally until the nausea and vomiting is under control. How about some I get you some ice chips and we’ll see how that goes.”

Again, Ezra let out a soft sigh. Everyone had been practically forcing water on him since he woke up in PACU, but now that he was asking for it, he was told he couldn’t have it. “That’ll be acceptable.”

“I’ll go get you some. And you should try to rest. That shot’ll make you feel sleepy.”

“And when I awake, my head won’t feel like it’s going to explode,” Ezra added on hopefully.

“That’s what we’re working towards. I’ll be right back with the ice.”

As Lauren slipped out the door, Josiah patted Ezra’s arm lightly. “I’m just going to step out and let Nathan and Buck know we’ve had a slight change in plans. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

As he let Buck and Nathan know that Ezra was going to be admitted overnight, he kept the door to the cubicle ajar so he could hear if Ezra needed anything. He was just getting ready to go back in when Lauren returned with a cup of ice and plastic spoon. “Make sure he takes it slow with this,” she advised as she handed both to Josiah. “They’re getting a room set up for him so it shouldn’t be too much longer before he’s moved.”

“Thanks,” Josiah said then went back into Ezra. He was going to ask if he wanted any of the ice when he noticed the other man’s deeper, more relaxed breathing. “Ezra,” he whispered but got no answer. He put the cup of ice on the tray table then fixed the blankets over his friend’s sleeping form before sitting back down. It looked like the medicine he’d been given was acting fast. For that, Josiah was grateful if it meant the younger man would be able to rest.

Less than a half hour later, Lauren returned with two orderlies. A room was secured for Ezra and it was time to move him to it. Ezra remained asleep even when they started to move the bed he lay upon. He remained that way until they arrived at the assigned room. “Wha…?” he questioned feeling the movement of the bed.

“It’s ok, Ezra,” Josiah reassured him. “They just moved you to a new room. Go back to sleep.” He smiled as Ezra immediately followed his suggestion.

Once the bed was in place and the orderlies had left, a nurse came into the room. “My name’s Robert,” he said to Josiah in introduction. “I’m going to be Ezra’s nurse tonight. I understand there’s going to someone in the room with him tonight for security reasons. Would that be you?”

“For now,” Josiah answered. “Name’s Josiah Sanchez. Ezra and I are on the same ATF team…and we’re friends.”

“It’s great he has a friend with him. I just need to get a quick set of vitals on him. Dr. Majors is also going to be in soon to check on his shoulder since he didn’t see him down in the day surgery holding.” Robert moved closer to the bed and looked down at Ezra. “He looks like he’s sleeping peacefully. I hate to have to wake him up.”

“You better let me. Ezra doesn’t do well when he’s woken before he’s done sleeping,” Josiah explained with a smile. He placed one hand on the top of Ezra’s head and gently rubbed his chest with the other while calling his name. It took a couple of tries before tired green eyes blinked open.

“Josiah?” Ezra questioned. His voice was hazy from sleep and he kept blinking his eyes. He lifted a heavy hand to rub them. “Tired.”

“I know. Robert here just needs you to wake up for a little while so he can check you. You can go back to sleep after.”

Robert took that as his cue. “Hey there,” he said as he slipped a pulse oximeter on Ezra’s index finger. “I just need to get a set of vitals on you. I’ll try to be quick.” After recording the results on the pulse-ox, he took Ezra temperature and blood pressure.

“How’s his BP,” Josiah asked as Robert peeled the cuff from around Ezra’s arm. “It was low earlier.”

“One hundred over seventy. It’s the lower end of normal but nothing to worry about.” He turned his attention to Ezra. “Do you need anything? How’s the pain level?” he asked once he was done recording the vitals.

“Not too bad right now. Could I get some water?”

Robert consulted Ezra’s patient chart then shook his head. “Sorry. Dr. Richards still has you listed NPO so I can’t let you have water right now. I can get you some ice chips, though.”

Ezra let out a sigh and nodded his head. “If that’s all I’m allowed.”

“I’m sure that’ll get changed soon since it looks like the nausea and vomiting you were experiencing is under control right now.”

“One hopes,” Ezra responded with a half-smile.

“I’ll be right back with the ice chips.”

“How’s the headache?” Josiah asked once Robert had left the room. Ezra’s face didn’t look as pinched with pain, so he hoped that meant it was better or, at least, getting better.

“Not nearly as bad. Just more of a dull ache right now,” Ezra confirmed. Although he was still tired, he was feeling more alert the longer he was awake. He looked around the room he was in. It was a small, oddly shaped private room. The bed faced the windows that had a view of distant mountain peaks. He assumed he’d been moved to a private room because of the continuing security risk he posed. “At least there’s a view.”

Josiah looked over toward the windows noticing the view for the first time. “That there is.”

“I guess it’s one of the fortunate extras of needing a private room.” Ezra deliberately didn’t look at Josiah and kept his eyes focused on the distant mountains as he asked his next question. “Has there been any news of Gabriel’s location?”

It was the elephant in the room that Josiah had been hoping the younger man wouldn’t notice. Fortunately, he was saved from answering when Dr. Masters came in the room.

“I hear you’re enjoying our hospitality so much, you’ve decided to stay overnight,” the doctor joked as he came into the room.

“Yes, well, I hear the cuisine is outstanding,” Ezra joked back.

“As long as you don’t get the beef stew. I hear it may or may not resemble Alpo,” the doctor said with a straight face getting a laugh from both Ezra and Josiah. “Critiques of the food aside, I hear you’re having more pain than anticipated in your shoulder.”

“Unfortunately,” Ezra replied. “It has dulled a bit, but it is quite painful. It doesn’t seem as if the pain medication is touching it.”

“Let’s see what we’ve got.” The doctor started removing the bandaging from Ezra’s shoulder. As Robert came back in with the requested ice chips, he told him they’d need to change the dressing.

Once the incision was uncovered, Masters gently probed it with his gloved hands. Ezra studiously looked away while Josiah snuck a look at the incision and winced. “It doesn’t look like there’s any infection. He moved out of the way as Robert returned with supplies for a new dressing. He pulled off his gloves and consulted Ezra’s patient chart. “Your fever hasn’t been elevated so I think we can safely rule out infection. I’d like to try a change in pain meds and see if that gives you any improvement. I’d also like you to continue with the Cryo cuff for 20 minutes every hour. The cold and pressure will help with any swelling and it should help with the pain as well.”

“So, no infection,” Josiah repeated to be sure he understood.

“Like I said, I’m not seeing any signs of one and he’s not running a fever. I think we can rule it out at this point. I do think we’ll see a difference with a change in pain meds.” Masters made a few notations on Ezra’s chart then asked if either he or Josiah had any other questions. Once they indicated they didn’t, he told them he’d be in to see Ezra in the morning before he was released.

Robert finished taping the dressing over the incision then got the cryo cuff back in place. “I’ll get you the new pain meds and, hopefully, that should have you feeling right as rain.” He indicated the cup of ice he’d left on the patient tray. “Go slow with that. I’ll put a call in to the on-call and see if we can get your orders changed so you can have some water or some clear liquids.”

Ezra reached for the cup of ice but, once he had it in hand, looked perplexed as to how to maneuver the spoon in it with his left arm completely mobilized. “Need some help with that,” Josiah quickly offered.

“That would be appreciated,” Ezra said as he held the cup out to his friend. Wanting to give him some independence, Josiah held the cup steady for him and let Ezra spoon the ice into his mouth himself.

A few minutes later, Robert came back in the room with the new pain reliever and injected it into Ezra’s IV. “This should start to work quickly and it’s probably going to make you feel a little sleepy. Just go with it and rest.”

Ezra thanked Robert then waited for him to leave before asking, “What about Gabriel. Has he been located yet?”

Josiah’s first instinct was to tell Ezra not to worry about that right now and to just rest but he saw in his friend’s eyes that he was not going to be put off. “Last I heard, they were still trying to track him down.” He saw the uneasiness in Ezra’s eyes. He grasped his wrist and gave it a little squeeze. “We’re not going to let him get anywhere near you.”

“It’s not me that I worry about. He’s going to do it again. He needs to be stopped.” Ezra looked anywhere but in Josiah’s direction as he spoke. Normally, he’d be able to hide his own feelings, but he knew he wasn’t able to do that now.

Josiah put down the rail along the side of the bed and sat down. He reached over and tilted Ezra’s face so that he could see him. “We are going to find him, and we are going to stop him from hurting anyone. I give you my word.”

A fleeting smile and short nod were Ezra’s only answer. Although he tried to hold it back, a yawn broke free. “My apologies. I believe Robert was right about what he gave me.”

“No need to apologize.” Josiah got up from the side of the bed and snapped the rail back in place. “Just do what the man said and rest.” He stood by the side of the bed and rubbed the back of Ezra’s wrist with his thumb. Once Ezra’s eyes drifted closed and his breathing evened out to the cadence of sleep, he sat back on the chair by the bed. As he watched his friend sleep, he wondered exactly what had happened with Gabriel that didn’t make the official record. He’d seen genuine fear in Ezra’s eyes when talking about him. There had to be more there than just a threat.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Includes discussion of violence and things of an adult nature. I have not been descriptive, however.

“Anything?” Chris demanded coming out of his office and looking at the remainder of his team. They were gathered in the bullpen area. Since returning from the hospital, JD, Buck, and Vin had been working diligently to find any lead on where Sebastian Gabriel had gone.

Buck and Vin both shook their heads, but JD called Chris over to his desk. “Maybe and it doesn’t look good.” He pointed to his screen. “A fourteen-year-old girl went missing in Lakewood yesterday afternoon. The last time she was seen was by a friend. She was getting into a dark SUV. The friend got a brief look at the driver.” He looked up at Chris. “The description she gave matches Sebastian Gabriel.”

“Damn it,” Chris cursed. “He didn’t waste any time getting back to his old tricks.”

“Yeah, but why come to Denver? Why not Indiana where he was being held?” JD asked. “It doesn’t make sense unless…”

“Unless he’s got something planned for Ezra. It’s the only reason he’d have for coming to Denver,” Buck finished. “How the hell could he have even found out where Ezra is now?”

“That’s what I’m working on.” Chris said. “JD, get in touch with the Lakewood PD. Find out what they’ve got.” Chris blew out a breath. “I hate to do it. I know he needs to rest but I’m going to head the hospital. Maybe Ezra can give us some insight on where to find this animal.”

As Chris started to head for his office to get his coat, Vin called after him, “What about the FBI?”

Chris stopped and turned to face Vin. “What about ‘em? They’ll know about this without our help. I don’t have the patience to deal with them now.”

“You sure that’s wise,” Buck questioned. “You know they’re going to be pissed if they think we’re holding back on anything.”

“Let ‘em. It’s up to Lakewood PD to alert them, not us.” Chris turned back towards his office and quickly grabbed his coat. “I’ll be at the hospital,” he said as he left.

*******************

It had been nearly five hours since Ezra had been moved to a private room. With the setting of the sun, the mountains visible through the window had become mere shadows as the lights of the city winked on. Ezra had slept much of the time since being given the new pain medication. Josiah had been happy to see that it seemed to have done the trick. With the reduction of pain from his shoulder as well as the lessening of the migraine he’d been suffering and the after-effects of the anesthesia abating, he’d been almost peaceful most of the time. There were several times he had rolled his head on the pillow, clearly upset and in the throes of a nightmare. Josiah had been able to settle him with some soft words and a reassuring pat and he settled back to sleep. On the one occasion when he’d woken, Josiah had asked if he wanted to talk about it but has been quickly rebuffed.

Orders had also changed allowing Ezra to, once again, have water and to start on clear liquids. An hour ago, he’d tried eating some Jell-O. He ate most of the cup before drifting back to sleep.

Josiah was flipping through one of the magazines Robert had brought in for him to read when he heard the door open. Immediately, he tensed and moved his hand toward his holster. No one was expected to check on Ezra at this time and those visits had been preceded by a knock. He only relaxed when he saw Chris come in the room with his hands held out.

“Easy, Josiah. It’s only me. I should have knocked but I didn’t want to in case he was sleeping.” He came deeper into the room, stopping at the foot of the bed. “How’s he doing?”

“Better,” Josiah replied as he relaxed back to the chair. “They finally found the right drugs, so he’s been mostly pain-free and the vomiting has stopped…even ate a little Jell-O a while ago.”

“That’s good,” Chris answered as he studied his sleeping undercover agent. “He looks like hell,” he bluntly stated as he took in the pale complexion and dark shadows under Ezra’s eyes. Despite Josiah saying he was almost pain-free, he still had pinched look.

“Hasn’t exactly been an easy day for him.”

“I guess not.” Chris handed the file he had over to Josiah. “It’s about to get worse. Gabriel’s up to his old tricks already.”

Josiah open the folder and quickly read through what little information there was about the disappearance of fourteen-year-old Deanna Willoughby. “They’re sure it’s him?”

“The description the friend was able to give matched. I was hoping Ezra might have some insight on where the bastard might be.” Chris looked at Josiah’s face and his protective stance over the sleeping man. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to wake him.”

“I didn’t think you were,” Josiah respond although the smile he gave Chris seemed to indicate the opposite. It was well known among the other seven, but not Ezra is seemed, that Josiah could sometimes get a bit more protective of Ezra when he injured or ill than the others. They all knew better than to cross him at those times.

Chris just smiled and shook his head. “Look, why don’t you go home for a while and get some rest. I’ll take over here.”

Josiah twitched the blanket over Ezra as he shook his head. “I think I’ll stick around. He’s sleeping easy now, but he’s been restless a few times. There’s something going on in his head but he’s not ready to talk about it.”

“And you’ve been here since this afternoon and you were in court this morning. You need to rest. I can look out for him.” When Josiah still looked reluctant, Chris pressured him. “I could make it an order, you know. Trust me. I can look after him and you’ll be fresh for him in the morning.”

“Ok,” Josiah relented. “But go easy on him if he wakes up.”

“You have my word,” Chris reassured. “Now, before you go, anything in particular I need to know about.”

Josiah pointed to a pile pillows on the other chair in the room. “He keeps trying to roll over onto his side. It’s not easy when the Cryo cuff is hooked up. Stick those behind him and it helps. And if they try to give him green Jell-O, don’t even let him see it or he’s gonna turn the same color.”

“Ok. Pillows if he tries to roll over, and no green Jell-O. He also always tries to swat the oxygen out of his nose and hates needles…even though none of us are supposed to know about that.” Chris smiled at Josiah’s shocked look. “I know my men and I can handle this. Now, go on. He’ll be fine.”

Josiah gave a short nod then brushed the hair back from Ezra’s forehead. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

Chris was unsure if Josiah spoke to him or the sleeping man. He clapped him lightly on the back. “He’ll be ok.”

With another nod and brief smile, Josiah said good night and headed out of the room. Once he was gone, Chris stood looking down at the sleeping agent for a few moments then sat back on the chair. He picked up the magazine Josiah had discarded and shook his head ruefully when he saw how out of date it was. Some things never seemed to change about hospitals.

*******************

It had been nearly three hours since Chris has arrived at the hospital. He’d flipped through the meager information they had on Gabriel and the abduction of Deanna Willoughby several times, making notes about things he wanted to ask Ezra about. He’d also flipped through the out-of-date magazines as well. He resisted the temptation to start pacing around the room for fear of waking the sleeping man.

Instead, he was standing at the window looking out absently at the silhouetted mountains when he heard a noise from behind him. He turned around to see Ezra moving restlessly in the bed. This had happened two times before. Both times he’d been able to settle him down with a few words and a gentle hand on his shoulder. He moved back to the bed to try the routine again. This time, it didn’t work, and Ezra woke with a quickly indrawn breath.

“You’re ok,” Chris reassured as Ezra looked around the room trying to reorient himself. “It’s ok.”

Ezra’s eyes fixed on Chris’s face. “Chris?” he questioned once he’d focused on him and was able to discern who was with him in the feeble light in the room. “Wh…what are you…I thought Jo…josiah…” he stuttered.

Chris reached over to turn on a light. “I sent Josiah home to get some rest. He’ll be back in the morning. Thought I’d take the night shift.” Seeing how flustered Ezra still looked, he tried to joke with him. “I figured it’d be quieter since you’d be sleeping and not talking.”

Reaching for the controls, Ezra brought the head of the bed more upright. “Sorry to disappoint,” he replied with a shadow of his usual sarcastic smirk. “Is there any water?”

Chris grabbed the cup from the tray table, filled it from the pitcher, and handed it over. “Didn’t look like that was a very good dream you were having there,” he said as he sat back down.

“No. It wasn’t,” Ezra replied softly without meeting Chris’s eyes.

Chris waited a few seconds to see if Ezra would say more. “Want to talk about it?” he prompted when the other man said nothing. “I’m guessing it has something to do with Sebastian Gabriel.” He waited another few seconds, but Ezra still didn’t say anything. He reached over and squeezed his shoulder in support. “Hey, from everything I’ve read about this bastard, you have every right to be worried about him. I know I’d be. None of us…I mean absolutely none of us are going to think any less of you.”

Finally, Ezra turned to meet Chris’s gaze and saw nothing but compassion and honesty in his eyes. He thought that maybe it was finally time to open up to someone else about what had happened. Maybe it was finally time to trust someone else to have his back. “This needs to stay between us, Mr. Larabee…Chris.”

“You have my word,” Chris said with a nod. He hid his surprise that Ezra was willing to open up to him. “Anything you say, it stays in this room and just between us.”

Ezra took a deep breath the began, “I assume you read the report on Sebastian Gabriel.” He waited for Chris’s nod before continuing. “There is an…incident…I chose not to include in my report. Oddly, my then partner, Nicholas Mahon, also left it off his report as well. I’ve never been able to figure out why, but since we were the only two privy to the incident, it never became part of the official file and was never brought up at trial.”

“Ok,” Chris agreed knowing just how much trouble both Ezra and Mahon could be in for knowingly omitting anything from their official reports. “I’m assuming you had your reasons.”

Ezra gave a small, sharp nod and looked away again. “Once you know, Mr. Larabee, you’ll understand why I didn’t want it reported.” He glanced back to his boss. “In my position, you may well have chosen the same.”

“Won’t know ‘til you tell me,” Chris pointed out. He didn’t say anything about how Ezra kept flipping between calling him Chris or Mr. Larabee. He supposed it depended on how much distance Ezra needed at any given time.

“Sebastian Gabriel is a sick, twisted, depraved, and evil man.”

“Can’t argue that,” Chris agreed. He’d read the files and knew that Gabriel trafficked in young girls. Ezra was probably being easy on the man calling him depraved.

Ezra nodded tightly then turned his gaze to the window across from his bed as he continued in a near monotone. “I was undercover representing a buyer for Gabriel’s…’wares’. I’d managed to ingratiate myself with the man after several weeks and he was finally going to allow me to see what he had for sale. Up until this point, he’d been very careful about what he’d said to me and we didn’t have anything on him that would actually stick but seeing the girls…having him actually offer them for sale…it was what we needed. As soon as I saw them, the FBI taskforce was supposed to come in and arrest him and his associates.” His voice trailed off and he took a deep breath letting it out slowly.

“I take it things didn’t go to plan.”

Ezra’s eyes flicked briefly in Chris’s direction and then back to the window. “Not exactly. I was supposed to meet Gabriel at an abandoned barn outside of the city. When I stepped in, someone hit me from behind and stunned me. Before I could react, my hands were tied behind my back and I was blindfolded. I was forced into a vehicle and driven somewhere else. I guess it was a half hour before we arrived. The blindfold wasn’t taken off me until we got inside some kind of warehouse. For all the twists and turns when I was in the vehicle, it could have been a half mile from that barn or twenty.”

Chris nodded even though Ezra wasn’t looking at him. This he knew from the reports he’d read but knew he had to let Ezra describe what happened his own way.

Reaching for the cup on the tray table, Ezra took another sip of water before he continued. When the blindfold came off, Sebastian Gabriel was there along with a girl. She couldn’t have been more than thirteen or fourteen.” This time, his eyes didn’t just flicker toward Chris for a moment and then back to the window. This time, he turned to face Chris looking him dead in the eye. “He wanted to me ‘sample’ the merchandise. He wanted me to rape that girl,” he said as levelly as he could.

Again, Chris knew about this from the reports. He could have stopped Ezra from going on to recount something that affected him so deeply but knew his friend had to get it out. “What happened?” Chris prompted when Ezra remained silent for nearly a minute.

“I couldn’t do that. She was an innocent. I couldn’t…I couldn’t do that.” Ezra’s voice became more strident with each word.

“I know, Ezra. I know you could never do that,” Chris quickly reassured him. “What happened when you refused.”

Swallowing thickly, Ezra gathered himself enough to continue. “He signaled one of his henchmen to grab me. He twisted my arm behind my back and forced me to my knees. That was the first time my shoulder dislocated but I didn’t care because he…he forced me to watch while he raped that girl. Dear God, I can still hear her screaming.”

Chris reached over and squeezed Ezra’s shoulder in support but said nothing to interrupt him.

Ezra had stopped looking at Chris and now looked down at where he held his right hand in his lap. What little color he might have had had drained from his face. When he spoke again, his voice had gone back to a disconnected monotone. “When he was done…he forced her to kneel in front of me. I can still see her face when I close my eyes. He said…he said she was used goods…that no one would want her…she was worthless to him now. He said he had to get rid of the garbage. I don’t know where it came from but the next thing I knew, he had a gun in his hand. He put it to the back of her head,” he took a deep, almost sobbing breath as the monotone disappeared. “He shot her. He killed her right there in front of me. I was splattered with…I was splattered with…” His head came up and looked in Chris’s direction. “She was just a child. Just an innocent. I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t keep her safe.”

Putting down the safety rail on the bed, Chris sat down on the edge of it. He again grasped Ezra’s good shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “It was out of your hands, Ezra. I know you. If there was the smallest thing you could have done to save that girl, you would have. The only one at fault is Sebastian Gabriel. Do you hear me?” Ezra’s only answer to the question was a weak nod. And he knew, despite what Ezra had told him, there was still more to come because everything he’d just heard, he’d known from the reports. The only difference was seeing how much what he’d witnessed truly affected Ezra to this day. That had been missing from the factual reports.

Chris sat on the edge of the bed for a few more minutes providing whatever comfort and encouragement he could. “Here, drink a little more,” he encouraged as he handed Ezra the cup of water. When Ezra seemed to be a bit calmer, Chris moved back to the chair to give him space. “Can you tell me about the rest…what’s not in your report?” He didn’t want to force the other man to continue if it was going to cause him too much upset even if he thought getting it all out would be the best for him. “Do you want to go on?”

“No,” Ezra answered honestly. “But I think I should. I think I have to.”

“Only if you’re up to it,” Chris cautioned. He was still cognizant of the fact that Ezra had been kept in the hospital overnight because of his reaction to the anesthesia as well as the migraine. In addition, there’d also been the issue with his blood pressure. Although it might be good for Ezra’s emotional well-being to talk about what happened, he was also concerned about it having an impact on his health.

“I think I need to finally tell someone, Chris. I haven’t trusted anyone before now. It’s just…hard.”

“Take your time. I just don’t want you making yourself sick again.”

Ezra picked up the cup again and took another sip from it. After he put it down, he rubbed at his left shoulder slightly. The pain was picking up, and he’d probably need something for it again soon. He wanted to finish telling Chris what had happened the last time he encountered Sebastian Gabriel before he took any other pain medication. He knew it would make him too dopey to continue and he knew if he didn’t keep going now, he’d probably never work up the courage to tell his story again.

“He’d known me as Elijah Stockton…that’s the name I was using. After he…after…” Ezra pulled in a couple of slow breaths to steady himself. When he spoke again, his voice was steadier. “He called me Agent Standish. Somehow my cover had been blown.” He looked over to Chris and quickly shook his head. “No. I never found out how it happened. Anyway, he had his men work me over for a bit. I was hit and kicked. I think my head may have been slammed off the floor. Everything became this haze of pain and I couldn’t protect myself. The next thing I knew, he had them take my clothes off.” He looked over to Chris, a sardonic half-smile on his face. “Sebastian Gabriel’s appetite went further than just young girls.” When he saw the import of what he’d said register on Chris’s face, he again turned to stare out the window. “When I realized what was going to happen, I froze…my mind went blank. The next thing I was aware of was noise and breaking glass. Somehow, the FBI taskforce had figured out where I’d been taken.

“Did Gabriel…” Chris started to ask.

“No. If they’d been a few minutes later…” His voice trailed off and he took a deep breath gathering himself before continuing. “The first one who came over to me was Nicholas. While he was handcuffing Gabriel, I managed to get my clothes back on. In all the confusion, no one else saw the state I was in besides Nicholas. I ended up in the hospital for a week. In addition to the shoulder dislocation, I had a concussion, fractured ribs…” he waved his hand through the air. “I’m sure you’ve read the complete list of injuries.”

Silently, Chris nodded. The list of injuries had been in the official file but near rape hadn’t been. This was what Ezra had kept hidden. He wasn’t sure he agreed but he could understand why he wanted to keep it buried.

“While I was in the hospital,” Ezra continued, “Nicholas came to visit. I was still a bit out of it with all the medication they were pumping into me. It was his idea to leave things out of our reports. I was so damned embarrassed, I agreed to it and I was relieved no one else would know.” Again, he looked over to Chris. “There were already rumors by then. I didn’t want this added to it. I thought he was doing me a favor, but I don’t think he really cared. When he was leaving, he stopped and turned back around. Do you know what he said?”

Shaking his head, Chris said, “No. What did he say?”

Voice dropping to a near whisper, Ezra responded, “That maybe he should have held them back five more minutes and let me get what was coming to me. He was supposed to be my partner. He was supposed to have my back.”

“Fuck,” Chris said softly with new understanding of why it was so hard for Ezra to trust others. Not only did Ezra suffer through the assault but to have his partner tell him he’d wished it had gone further…he couldn’t imagine a worse betrayal. It was going to take great restraint not to lay Mahon out when he arrived the next day…and there was no way in hell he’d let the bastard anywhere near Ezra.

Chris moved to sit on the edge of the bed again. He tilted Ezra’s face so he could see. He was surprised to see his eyes shiny with unshed tears. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You were assaulted and you should have had the support of your partner.”

Ezra took a shaky breath. “I keep seeing it again. Since I heard Vin say his name. I close my eyes and I’m seeing it again except, this time, they are five minutes late. And that bastard is out there again and he’s probably hurting more girls.” Impatiently, he wiped at the tear that finally spilled from his eye and slid down his cheek. “And I feel helpless again.”

“You’re not helpless and you’re not alone. We’ve got your back, Ezra. That bastard is not going to get near you again. You have my word.” All Chris could see was raw emotion on Ezra’s face as fear clashed with embarrassment then switched to anger and then the fear came crashing back. It was the first time he could remember seeing the other man without the walls he carefully hid his emotions behind, and he found himself wanting to do something…anything that could at least take the fear away. Knowing it would probably add to the embarrassment Ezra was feeling, but hoping his need to connect with a human would win over, as carefully as he could, and careful not to jar Ezra’s left shoulder, Chris pulled him forward and into a tight hug. “You have my word. We’re going to be here for you.”

At first, Ezra stiffened and tried to pull away from Chris but, with a sobbing breath, he let himself fall forward into the comforting embrace. His need to be held and comforted outweighing his embarrassment at needing the connection. “I’m sorry,” he whispered over and over.

“Nothing to be sorry about,” Chris assured as he rubbed Ezra’s back. “Just let it out. Let it out.” He felt a nod against his shoulder. For a while, the only sounds Ezra made were deep, shuddering breaths and Chris could feel tears dampening his shirt.

Eventually, Ezra’s breathing eased off and he became a greater weight against Chris’s shoulder. Chris gave his friend one more gentle squeeze then laid him back against the pillow.

Ezra took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He brushed his hands across his eyes wiping away the last of the tears. “I apologize for my loss of composure, Mr. Larabee.”

Chris grabbed some tissues from the box on the nightstand and handed it to his friend. He knew from the ‘Mr. Larabee’ that Ezra was trying to hide behind his walls again. “Nothing to be sorry about and I don’t want to hear any more about it. And let’s skip the Mr. Larabee. You can save that for the office.” He reached down and grabbed the trashcan for Ezra to deposit the tissues in.

“How about thank you, then?”

“That I’ll take. Shoulder hurting?” Chris asked as he saw a grimace flash across Ezra’s face at the same time he reached to lightly rub his shoulder.

“A bit.” Ezra reached for the call bell and pushed it. “I think it might be time for the pain meds.” He winced again and shifted uncomfortably.

“My guess is you’re past when you should have had it.” Again, Chris got up from the bed, snapped the safety rail in place, then sat on the chair. “How’s the head?” he asked guessing that the emotions Ezra had been through may have reawakened the migraine from earlier.

“It’s ok…maybe a little fuzzy,” Ezra replied just before a yawn nearly split his face in two. “I’m a bit tired.”

The two men heard the door push open and Chris turned toward it, his hand straying to his holstered gun. He relaxed when Robert came in the room. “Something I can help you with,” the nurse asked as he came over to the bed.

“My shoulder’s giving me a bit of trouble. I was wondering if I could have something for it.”

“I was wondering when you ask. You’re a bit overdue for another dose. I’ll bring it right in. Is there anything else you need?”

Ezra’s stomach picked that time to gurgle hungrily. “Is it possible to get a little something to eat.”

“They’ve still got you on clear liquids for now. I can see if there’s some Jell-O in the kitchen.”

In unison, three voices said, “Not green.”

“Not green,” Robert repeated with a smile before leaving the room.

The two men lapsed into silence once they were alone in the room Chris knew he had to tell Ezra not only about the disappearance of Deanna Willoughby and that Sebastian Gabriel was suspected of abducting her but also about the imminent arrival of the FBI, including Nick Mahon.

“What is it, Chris,” Ezra asked sensing Chris was holding something back.

“There’s been an abduction,” Chris said after weighing his options. Ezra was bound to find out and, in fact, he’d been hoping to get some insight from him.

“And Sebastian Gabriel is the prime suspect,” Ezra finished for him. “A young girl?”

Chris nodded. “The friend she was with was able to give a description. It fits Gabriel’s description.” He reached for the file he’d put on the floor by the chair and pulled a photo of Deanna from it. “She’s fourteen,” he said as he handed the photo over to Ezra.

Ezra studied the photo Chris gave him then handed it back. “She could be Melanie’s sister.”

“Melanie?”

“Melanie McPherson. She was the girl that…that…” Ezra looked away and pulled in a breath to steady himself. “That Gabriel killed in front of me.” He looked back to Chris and indicated the photo he held. “This young lady fits his favorite type…athletic, blonde…young. How old did you say she was?”

“Just turned fourteen last week. I was hoping you might have insight on where we could find him…maybe draw on your past experience.”

“He’s got expensive taste and he likes to throw around money. If the past is anything to go by, he’s probably either already bought or will be looking to buy some kind of luxury vehicle.”

Chris nodded. “We’ll start getting in touch with local dealerships…see if anyone’s seen him.”

“An abduction and child trafficking don’t exactly fall under the purview of the ATF. I’d think local LEO’s would be working the case…and the FBI.”

“Lakewood PD is. But this also involves you so there’s no way we’re just going to sit on the sidelines. As for the FBI…” This time it was Chris’s turn to look away briefly knowing there was no easy way to tell Ezra that the man who had been his partner and was so willing to betray him was on his way. “I don’t know how to say this.”

“Spit it out…or let me guess. The FBI is sending the other agent besides me with the most knowledge of Sebastian Gabriel. Nicholas Mahon is on his way, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Chris confirmed quietly. “He and his partner are due in tomorrow morning…but that bastard isn’t getting anywhere near you.”

Robert’s arrival with the requested pain medication interrupted Chris and Ezra from further discussion. “Got you some red and blue Jell-O,” Robert said as he set the two cups and a spoon down on the tray table. He handed Ezra a small medicine cup with two white pills in it. “Dr. Majors switched you to oral Percocet,” he explained as he also handed him the cup of water. “Let me know if you need anything else and try to get some rest,” he advised once Ezra had taken the medication.

Once Robert had left, Chris took the covers off the cups of Jell-O. “We can talk about the case and Mahon tomorrow when you’ve gotten some rest and you’re feeling better. Right now, eat your Jell-O so you can go to sleep.”

Ezra started with the cup of red Jell-O. Once he’d finished it, he moved on to the blue. “About earlier, Chris. I want to thank you. I haven’t talked about it with anyone before now.”

“Glad I was here for you. And I meant what I said. What we talked about stays between the two of us. If you decide you want the others to know at some point…that’ll be up to you.”

Ezra nodded and finished the second cup. By the time he was done, he was yawning after every spoonful. Chris took that as a cue to pull the tray table out of the way and use the bed controls to put the head of the bed down. “Sleep,” he ordered as he straightened the covers. “I’ll be here if you need anything.” Before he sat, Ezra’s eyes were already closed as he drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Once Ezra had fallen asleep, the rest of the night had been quiet. He’d moved restlessly a few times as pain broke through and he’d also spent several restless minutes trying to turn over to his side Chris had finally helped him onto his right side and propped the extra pillows behind him as Josiah had suggested. Other than that, he’d been peaceful the rest of the night. Chris hoped that meant talking about what had happened with Sebastian Gabriel in the past might have eased his mind somewhat.

He’d found himself dozing on and off during the rest of night despite how uncomfortable the chair was. Robert had offered to bring in one of the patient chairs that would recline so he’d be more comfortable, but he’d declined. The purpose of him being there was for Ezra’s protection, not to get a good night’s sleep

The sky was just getting lighter and the mountains were again becoming visible when there was a soft knock on the door to Ezra’s hospital room. Chris, who’d been dozing in the chair, was immediately awake and spun towards the door. He relaxed his guard when he heard, “Vin coming in.”

“You’re here early,” Chris said once Vin was in the room.

“Thought you might want someone to spell you for a while. He’s looking a bit better,” Vin said as he looked at Ezra who was still sleeping. “At least he’s not that same shade of green he was yesterday.”

Chris sat back in the chair. “Night started out rough for him, but we talked a bit and he settled down after that. He’s been through a lot more shit than any of us know about,” he said thoughtfully although he didn’t have any intention to reveal what he and Ezra had discussed. He’d promised that it would stay between them and he was going to keep that promise.

“Always suspected. Glad he trusted you and shared whatever it is with you.” Carefully watching Ezra sleeping, Vin continued, “I figure it has something to do with Gabriel. Seems right after he found about him was when he started going downhill yesterday. Everything I’ve read about him…monster might be too nice a way to describe him.”

Nodding, Chris leaned back in the chair and also studied Ezra. “You’d be right…but that’s all I’m saying.” He stood up and stretched. “Hopefully, they’ll let him out this morning. We’re going to have coordinate moving him somewhere safe. Since you’re here, I’m going to get some coffee.” Before leaving the room, Chris gave Vin the same advice Josiah had given him about the pillows if Ezra tried to roll onto his side.

Ten minutes after Chris left, Ezra started stirring. Vin sat forward on the chair wondering if Ezra were waking or if this was the start of a bad dream. A few seconds later, Ezra’s eyes blinked open answering the question. “Hey there, Sunshine,” Vin said once Ezra had looked his way.

“Vin?” Ezra asked as he wiped a hand over his eyes. He looked around the room then asked, “Chris leave?”

“He went to get some coffee…should be back in a few. You’re looking a whole lot better than when I left yesterday.”

Using the bed controls, Ezra put the head up, so he was at a 45-degree angle. “I am feeling better. The migraine’s mostly gone and even my shoulder isn’t quite as sore.” His stomach picked that moment to grumble.

“Sounds like your stomach is feeling better as well,” Vin said with a chuckle.

Ezra lightly rubbed his stomach. “It would be doing better if they’d let me have something a bit more substantial then Jell-O of any color.”

“Way you were puking yesterday, they probably want to make sure that’s not going to happen again.”

“Lovely way to put it,” Ezra said as he scowled slightly. “Your way with words has always impressed me.”

Vin shrugged, non-plussed by Ezra’s complaint. “It’s the truth. Never seen someone puke so much without tying one on first.”

“Again, such lovely imagery.”

“Just being truthful is all.”

A knock on the door preceded it opening and a nurse coming in carrying a covered tray. “Hi, Mr. Standish. My name’s Lisa and I’m going to be your nurse this morning.” She placed the tray on the overbed table. “They were delivering your breakfast when I was on my way in. I just want to get a set of vitals on you and then I’ll let you eat.”

Vin picked up the cover on the tray. “Hey, looks like you’re getting your wish. It’s oatmeal instead of Jell-O.” Since Lisa had put the thermometer in his mouth, all Ezra could do was roll his eyes.

“Everything looks great,” Lisa said once she was done. “I’ll let you eat, and your doctor should be around soon to see how you’re doing.”

“Thank you. You wouldn’t happen to know if I’ll be able to leave this morning.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t. That would be up to your doctor. Is there anything else you need?”

“No. Thank you.”

“Ok, then. I’ll let you eat and just ring if you need anything.”

As Lisa left the room, Vin rolled the tray over the bed and pulled the cover off it with a flourish. “Your oatmeal and toast.”

Ezra poked at the toast that looked more like charcoal. “I think I’ll pass on this.” He pulled the oatmeal closer and poked the spoon in it and sighed. “You’d think they’d be able to make at least one thing that’s mildly appetizing.”

Vin reached over and took the lid off the mug on the tray. “At least they gave you coffee.”

Ezra picked up the coffee and sniffed at it. “That is not coffee. That is colored water.” He put the mug back on the tray and looked over to Vin. “I seem to remember you promising me coffee yesterday.”

“You remember that? All that was going on and you remember the coffee?” Vin shook his head and chuckled. “You sure do have priorities.”

Another knock on the door heralded the arrival of Dr. Masters followed by Chris. “Looks like a full house in here,” the doctor said looking between Vin and Chris.

“You know my associate Vin Tanner,” Ezra said gesturing in Vin’s direction. “The color challenged fellow is my boss, Chris Larabee.” Chris raised his eyebrows at the description but didn’t say anything. “I’m sure, like me, they’re wondering if I’ll be able to leave this fine medical establishment this morning.”

“He’s feeling better,” Chris remarked. “He’s using more words than necessary again.”

Dr. Masters smiled at both Ezra’s question and Chris’s observation. “It’s most likely we’ll be able to release you this morning. Before that happens, though, we’ll just have to make sure you can get around on your own. Other than that, it looks like the issues you were having yesterday with the migraine and reaction to the anesthesia have passed.” He pointed to the breakfast tray that Ezra hadn’t done more than poke at. “We’re also going to want to make sure you can keep solid food down.”

Ezra lifted a spoonful of the oatmeal and looked from it to the doctor with raised eyebrows. “I’d hardly call this solid food. Perhaps you’d allow one of my associates to get me something a bit more appetizing.” He pointed to the burnt toast, “and a bit less charcoal.”

“That does seem to leave a bit to be desired,” the doctor agreed. “I don’t see any harm in one of your friends getting you something a bit more palatable as long as it’s on the bland side.”

“I can run down to the cafeteria,” Vin volunteered. “How do scrambled eggs and maybe some fruit sound.”

“Add in some real coffee and I’ll be willing to call it gourmet,” Ezra said as he pushed the breakfast tray away from him.

Vin waited for Dr. Masters to nod agreement. “I’ll be back in two shakes with it,” he promised then left the room.

While Vin was gone, Dr. Masters checked the incision site on Ezra’s shoulder and questioned him regarding pain level. “I don’t see any reason why you can’t go home after you’ve had some breakfast and get up for a little walk,” he said once he finished the checkup. “I think we can also discontinue the IV. I’ll have a nurse come in and do that.”

“Thank you.” Once Dr. Masters had left, Ezra asked Chris, “When can we expect the arrival of the illustrious Nicholas Mahon?”

“He’s due in some time this morning,” Chris answered once he’d take a sip of his coffee. “And he’s not getting near you if I have something to say about it.”

Ezra couldn’t help but smile slightly at his boss’s protectiveness. “I appreciate your concern, Chris, but as you pointed out last night, I may have some insight on where Gabriel is or how to find him. There’s a young girl’s life at stake. How I feel about my former partner doesn’t matter compared to that.”

“You’re a good man, Ezra,” Chris responded although he wasn’t surprised that Ezra was putting the well-being of another before his own. No matter what kind of front Ezra might put on or what kind of rumors seemed to precede him, it never came as a surprise to Chris or the other members of Team Seven when he did so. “I’m still keeping any contact between the two of you to a minimum…and he should consider himself damned lucky I don’t rearrange his face when this is all said and done.”

“Once Deanna has been safely located and Sebastian Gabriel is back behind bars where he belongs, you not only have my permission but my blessing to do whatever you see fit when it comes to Nicholas Mahon and you have my word I’ll cover for you.”

“I’ll hold him for you while you get a few of your own hits in.”

Lisa’s arrival prevented the two men from further discussion. She efficiently removed the IV from Ezra’s arm and taped a piece of gauze over the site. “I’ll take this out of your way,” she said as she picked up the breakfast tray before leaving. “Dr. Masters said you were smart and sent one of your friends to get you some real food.”

It took a bit longer than expected for Vin to return with Ezra’s breakfast. “I was on my way downstairs and remembered how bad the food in the cafeteria was, so I went to that little diner across the street.” He pulled a Styrofoam take-out box out of the bag he had and opened it to reveal a pile of scrambled eggs. Next, he took out a fruit cup and, much to Ezra’s joy, a cup of coffee.

Ezra eagerly took the lid off the coffee and inhaled deeply of the aroma before drinking it. The look on his face was almost blissful. “Now that is coffee.” He traded the cup for the fork Vin had left on the tray and scooped up some of the eggs but stopped before putting them in his mouth. “I don’t suppose you got any…” he asked hopefully.

“Would I disappoint you?” Vin asked as he pulled a few packets of ketchup out of the bag. Since Ezra was unable to use two hands to open the packets, Vin did so and squeezed them on the eggs. “Eat up,” he said once Ezra had mixed the ketchup into the eggs.

Chris wrinkled his nose at the addition of the condiment. “I’m not sure that’s what the doctor had in mind when he said bland, you know.” He watched as Ezra started shoveling the eggs into his mouth as if he hadn’t seen food in weeks instead of just about a day. He put his hand over Ezra’s to slow him down. “I don’t think he had inhaling your food in mind either. No one’s going to take it away from you and if you choke on it, they’ll probably make you stay longer,”

“I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” Ezra said chagrined. Once Chris let go of his hand, he ate the rest of his breakfast at a more sedate pace. “I know I’m supposed to be off duty for three weeks, but I’d like to go into the office once I’m released. I might not be able to do field work right now, but I’d like to do whatever I can to help locate that girl.” He kept his concentration on his breakfast as he spoke, so he missed the looks Vin and Chris exchanged.

“That would be a no,” Chris answered in a tone of voice that didn’t invite any arguing. It didn’t mean Ezra wasn’t going to.

“I’m not saying I want to do anything strenuous, Chris. I can handle a computer and a phone with only one arm. You can’t expect me to just sit by and not do anything,” Ezra insisted. He looked directly at Chris. “I know you might think I need to be shielded or something after what I told you last night but I’m not some hothouse lily that’s going to wilt. Let me do my job.”

“This has nothing to do with that,” Chris stated. “This has to do with Gabriel threatening you at trial. We’d all have to be crazy to think he wasn’t serious. Once you’re released from here, you’re going to a safe house.”

For a moment, all Ezra could do was look at Chris and blink as he processed what he’d said. “What? You’re kidding. I am not going to a safe house.”

A knock at the door interrupted Chris before he could respond. Once he’d identified himself, Buck came into the room. “Hey, Hoss. You’re looking better,” he said. Then sensing the tension in the room looked between the three men. “Something I’m missing.”

“Just trying to get it through Ezra’s thick skull that he’s going to a safe house until Gabriel’s back in custody.”

“As I said, Mr. Larabee, I am not going to a safe house. There is no need. Any threats Gabriel made at trial were nothing but empty words. I’m not the one in danger. That girl…Deanna…is the one who’s life is in danger and I’m not going to sit by idly.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Ezra,” Buck said as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a letter. “This came for you at the office this morning. Bastard Gabriel put his name in the return address.”

“Give me that,” Chris said as he snatched the letter from Buck and started to open it.

“I believe that is addressed to me,” Ezra pointed out with his hand held out. When Chris made no move to hand it over, he added, “Last time I checked, it’s still a federal offence to tamper with US mail. Give it to me.”

For a few seconds that felt much longer, the two men stared each other down. Finally, Chris relented and handed the letter to Ezra who took it and opened it. He silently read the contents. Other than his face going pale, he showed no reaction to what he read. When he finished, he held it out to Chris to read as well.

After reading the letter, Chris had to fight to control himself not to hit something. “Son of a bitch,” he hissed.

“What’s it say?” Vin asked.

Chris looked over to Ezra seeking his permission before he revealed anything. The smallest of nods gave him permission to not only reveal the contents of the letter but also what Ezra had revealed to him last night. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” Ezra pulled in a deep breath. “Just do it, Chris.”

“Ok.” Chris looked to Buck and Vin. “This stays in this room, understand.” Receiving nods of agreement from the other two men, Chris went on to relate what Ezra had told him had happened. After that, although he didn’t read the letter with all of its descriptive detail, he gave them the highlights of it – namely that Gabriel had threatened that when he found Ezra, he was going to finish what he’d started. 

“Holy shit,” Buck breathed out when Chris had finished. He looked over to Ezra who had his eyes closed and his body held tense. He reached down and lightly squeezed his ankle in support.

“He ain’t getting anywhere near you, Pard,” Vin stated. “And if he tries, I’m going to personally separate him from one of his body parts.”

Ezra nodded slightly and finally opened his eyes to look at Buck and Vin. He’d been afraid he’d see pity in their eyes or blame, but instead, all he saw was their support. “Thank you,” he whispered. He reached a shaking hand for the cup of water on the tray table and took a sip. “I must admit, this does have me a bit rattled.”

“Don’t think any of us would feel different if we’d’a been in your place,” Vin assured him.

“So, you think it’s a good idea to get you under wraps now,” Chris asked.

“I still want to help,” Ezra insisted. “I have to.”

“And no one’s saying you can’t.” Chris pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat again. “Let us get you somewhere safe. JD can get you hooked up so you can help us, but we can make sure this bastard can’t get to you.”

Ezra was quiet as he mulled over what Chris had said. If he were being honest, the thought of Gabriel finding him again frightened him to his core. He’d met up with some of the worst criminals in his career, but no one could ever compare to Sebastian Gabriel. The man was evil through and through. “Where did you have in mind?”

“None of the usual safe houses,” Chris said. “I’ve been thinking, and the only way Gabriel could have found out you were an FBI agent back then and know you were in Denver now is if someone’s been giving him information.”

This caught Ezra’s attention. “A leak? Are you saying there’s someone who’s been feeding Gabriel information?”

“Were you so sloppy your cover was blown? Did you send him your forwarding address when you left Atlanta?” Not expecting an answer to his rhetorical question, Chris continued, “We need to get you some place that isn’t official. I thought about my ranch but, if there is a leak somewhere, that might be too obvious. I talked to Judge Travis while you were sleeping earlier. He’s got a place up in the mountains. There aren’t many people who know about it so it could be the perfect place.”

“How do we get him there?” Vin asked. “For all we know, Gabriel knows about the hospital and he’s been scoping it out?”

“Only if he’s got some help,” Buck pointed out. “He couldn’t be here scoping out the hospital and abducting that girl at the same time.”

Chris turned to Ezra. “You probably know what he’d do better than any of us. You think it’s likely he would have hooked up with anyone here already?”

Ezra turned thoughtful as he mulled the question. “He doesn’t like to do his own dirty work. He’s probably got some muscle working with him already. The FBI couldn’t track down all his contacts. It may have been a few years, but I’d be willing to bet that he’s reacquainted himself with some of his old friends.

A knock at the door had the four men turning to see who was coming in, relaxing only when they saw it was Lisa. “I feel like I’m interrupting something,” she said with a smile.

“Just work talk,” Buck answered with a wink. “Wouldn’t want to bore you, darlin.”

“Down, Buck,” Ezra ordered before turning to Lisa. “You’ll have to forgive him. He doesn’t get out often.”

Lisa let out a laugh. “Nothing I can’t handle,” she assured Ezra. She took note of the empty containers from his breakfast. “I see you’ve eaten. How do you feel about getting up for a little walk?”

Ezra eagerly pushed the tray table out of the way and started to throw off the blanket. “If it means I can use the restroom instead of other means, I’ll gladly go for a walk.”

Again, Lisa laughed as she put out a hand to stay Ezra’s movements. “Hang on a second. We need to get you detached from the cryo cuff and get you some gripper socks. We don’t need you slipping and taking a tumble.” Once she had done both, she assisted Ezra to sit with his legs dangling over the side of the bed. “You haven’t been on your feet for over a day so take it easy You might feel a little light-headed when you get up.” Carefully, she helped him ease to his feet, keeping a tight hold of his right arm as he got his balance.

Once he indicated he was ready, the two slowly made their way across the room to the bathroom. When Buck wolf-whistled, Ezra made an abortive attempt to pull his arm from Lisa and hold the back of the hospital gown closes. “I got you covered,” Lisa said as she reached to do it for him.

She walked him as far as the bathroom door. “You seem like you’re steady on your feet, so I won’t go in with you. Just stay put and ring when you’re done, and I’ll walk you back.”

“Perhaps one of my associates could do so,” Ezra suggested feeling just the slightest bit embarrassed to be escorted to and from the restroom.

Lisa looked back at the other two men. “I think that should be ok. I’ll come back and check on you in a little while.”

Once Lisa had left and door to the bathroom was closed, Buck turned to Chris. “So, what’s the plan going to be?”

“We need to figure out how to get him out of here and to the judge’s cabin without anyone being the wiser.” Chris looked thoughtfully in the direction of the closed bathroom door. “I think they need to keep Ezra here longer. I think he might he even might need to be admitted to the ICU where he can’t have any visitors.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Vin asked.

Before Chris could answer, they heard the toilet flushing and then water running in the sink. Chris quickly crossed the room and was outside the door when it opened, and Ezra came out. “I guess you missed the lady saying to call one of us.”

“I was going to,” Ezra said with a look of pure innocence on his face.

“Uh huh.” Grasping his right arm, Chris guided Ezra back to the bed. “Keep this up and you really will need ICU.”

“What?” Ezra asked in puzzlement as he looked from Chris to the other two men. “Someone want to tell me what that’s all about.”

Buck shrugged in answer. “Beats me. Chris was just saying something about you staying in the hospital…in ICU.”

“No,” Ezra said emphatically. “I’ll go to judge’s cabin if you think it’s that important, but I absolutely refuse to stay in this establishment one moment longer than necessary.” He tried to cross his arms across his chest to emphasize his point, but with his left arm strapped to his chest, the movement wasn’t quite as emphatic as he would have liked. “You can just come up with some other plan.”

“Of course, you’re going to the judge’s. We’re just going to make everyone think you’ve taken a turn for the worse and that you’ve been admitted to the ICU…with no visitors. That way, if there is a leak, he or she will think you’re still here and feed that information to Gabriel. It’ll also have the added benefit of keeping Mahon and his partner away from you a little longer. Meanwhile, we smuggle you out of here and to the judge’s cabin where we keep you under wraps.”

Ezra pushed himself back so he could lean against the pillows as he thought through Chris’s plan looking for any flaws. Not finding any, he nodded his agreement. “Sounds like it might work. How are you going to convince the hospital to fudge the records?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get that straightened out. JD and Nathan in the office?” Chris asked.

“Should be,” Vin responded. “Want me to get them here…and what about Josiah?”

“Said he’d be back sometime this morning. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on his way. I’ll give him a call to see where he’s at. Once he’s here, we’ll get JD and Nathan on speaker phone and figure out how we’re going to do this.”

Chris didn’t have to call Josiah to find out where he was as he arrived just as Chris was dialing. Once he was there, they called JD and Nathan and the seven of them planned how they would get Ezra out of the hospital with no one being the wiser.

Dr. Masters was brought in on the plan and he agreed to put through paperwork to make it look like Ezra had been transferred back to ICU and that all visitors were prohibited. He warned, though, that the ruse wouldn’t be able to be maintained so long. Chris assured him they only needed enough time to get Ezra out of the hospital and on his way to the Judge Travis’s mountain cabin.

Within an hour, they had a plan in place. Everything was made to look like Ezra was being released as planned including a physical therapist coming in to instruct him how to go about getting dressed, attaching the cryo cuff, and some passive exercises he could do to maintain mobility in his elbow and wrist.

They were ready to put their plan into action when the one element they’d hoped to avoid came into the room: FBI agent Nicholas Mahon and his partner. Playboy was Chris’s first thought when he saw Mahon. He was as well-dressed and put together as Ezra normally was but there was something about him that just screamed flash and, even if Chris didn’t know what Ezra had told him, he wouldn’t have trusted the man.

“You know, Standish,” Mahon said with a disingenuous smile, “This reminds me of one of the last times we saw each other. You were in a hospital bed then, too. If I recall correctly you had a dislocated shoulder. Oh...and we were talking about Sebastian Gabriel. I guess it’s true what they say about the more things change.” He watched as Ezra shifted uncomfortably in the bed and the smile transformed into a smirk. “Where are my manners. I haven’t introduced you to my new partner, Karla Moyer.”

“Hi. Nice to meet you,” Karla said. “I’ve...uh...heard a lot about you.” She seemed uneasy as she spoke. It was unclear if her uneasiness was caused by Mahon’s behavior or rumors she’d no doubt heard about Ezra.

“I’m sure you have,” Ezra murmured. He forced a smile on his face to match Mahon’s. “I’m sure you’ve been learning a lot from Nicholas.”

“Um...yeah. He’s been a great mentor.”

“Hate to break up this reunion but, is there a point to your visit,” Chris asked trying to reign in his hostility.

“You are?” Mahon inquired.

“Chris Larabee. I head up the ATF team Ezra’s a part of. This is Vin Tanner and Buck Wilmington, two of Ezra’s teammates.” He pointed to Vin and Buck in turn. Neither man made a move to offer his hand to Mahon. They’d already made up their minds about Ezra’s former partner. “So, what can we do for you?”

Sensing hostility between the men, Karla stepped in. “We’re hoping Agent Standish might be able to assist us locating Sebastian Gabriel.”

“More to the point,” Mahon interrupted, “Have you been in contact with him?”

“Contact?” Ezra asked unable to hide his surprise at the question. “Do you think I’ve been his pen pal or something? After what...what he...after what...” Ezra tried to pull in a deep breath but was unable to. He shot a panicked look over at Chris. “I can’t...catch...my...breath,” he forced out as he started rubbing at his chest. “My heart...”

“Buck, get some help,” Chris ordered when he saw how distressed Ezra was. “Get out,” he barked at the FBI agents. “Now,” he demanded when they didn’t immediately move. Catching Vin escorting them out of the room out of the corner of his eye, he turned to Ezra. “Take it easy. Buck’s getting some help. You’re going to be ok.”

As Mahon and Moyer left the room, Buck came hurrying in with Dr. Masters and Lisa. The doctor hurried over to Ezra. Seeing his difficulty breathing, he pulled the oxygen mask from the basket on the wall behind the bed and put it on Ezra. “Try to slow your breathing.” Catching sight of the way Ezra was rubbing his chest, he asked, “Are you having chest pains?”

Nodding, Ezra gasped out, “Racing.”

“Ok. Let’s have a listen.” As he unwrapped the stethoscope from around his neck he looked over to Lisa. “Let’s get him on a monitor and get a full set of vitals.” He looked over to Chris. “I’m going to have to ask you gentlemen to leave.”

“Sorry, Doc. One of us has to say here,” Chris answered. He nodded in Buck and Vin’s direction to let them know he’d be staying.

“Fine. Just stay out of the way.”

Chris backed up into a corner of the room and watched the flurry of activity around Ezra. He couldn’t help but think that it looked like his friend was having a heart attack.

“Ok,” Dr. Masters said after watching the heart monitor. “You’re a slightly tachycardic...your heartbeat is fast...but everything else looks ok. Everything’s pointing to a panic attack.” He turned to face Ezra. “I know it probably feels like you’re having a heart attack but you’re not. I’m going to give you something that will help you calm down.” He looked over to Lisa. “Let’s get him two mg of Diazepam IM.”

Chris took a hesitant step closer to the bed. Ezra’s face was still pale and bathed in sweat and he still seemed to be having trouble catching his breath. “I don’t mean to question you, doc, but are you sure?”

“Quite. A panic attack can be very scary and make you feel like you’re having a heart attack but he’s not.” As he spoke Lisa came back in and injected the contents of a syringe into Ezra’s thigh. “That should start working a few minutes. Just try to slow your breathing. That’s it. You’re doing good.”

Chris could tell when the medication started to work. Looking at the heart monitor, he could see that Ezra’s heart rate started to slow and he didn’t seem to be gasping for breath anymore. He moved closer to the bed and rested his hand on Ezra’s good shoulder, rubbing lightly. “Is he going to be ok?”

“He’ll be fine.” Masters looked down at Ezra. “Breathing easier?” he asked even though he could see his patient was. When Ezra nodded slightly, he took the oxygen mask off him. “The medication is going to make you feel a bit sleepy. Just try to relax.”

“Can I still go home?” Ezra asked as he relaxed more.

“I don’t see why not. All of your vitals are coming back down to where they should be.”

Continuing the soothing rub of Ezra’s shoulder, Chris asked, “What could have caused this? Is it because of the problems he had yesterday?”

“Stress is the most likely cause.”

“Well, we know what caused that,” Chris pointed out.

“I thought I was having a heart attack or something,” Ezra mumbled. The combination of the medication and his body coming down from the adrenaline rush of the panic attack was making him more and more sleepy and fatigued. He found himself fighting to stay awake.

“It can feel that way,” Dr. Masters agreed. “But I can assure you, that’s not what was happening.”

“Could it happen again,” Chris asked. “Is there anything he needs to do or any medicine he’ll need.”

“I can’t rule out it happening again but I don’t think it’s likely,” the doctor answered. “As long as he avoids the stressor, I don’t think it’ll be a continuing problem.”

Chris was thoughtful for a moment looking between Ezra and the doctor. “You know, it really did look like he was having a heart attack.”

From the tone of Chris’s voice, Ezra knew he was up to something. “What are you thinking?”

“Just that Mahon and Moyer both saw you having the panic attack. We let them think you did have a heart attack. They’ll think that’s the reason why you’re not being released. We just make sure they know you can’t have any visitors.” Chris looked up at the doctor. “Think that could work.”

“It should.”

“Good. I’m going to go out there and let Buck and Vin know Ezra’s had a heart attack and he’s not doing so well and needs to be transferred to ICU.” He glanced over to Ezra. “I’m sure Mahon is probably still lurking around out there. I’ll make sure he overhears and then get him away from here so we can make the switch and get you out of here.”

“Clothes,” Ezra said. “I refuse to leave dressed like this.”

“I can help him get dressed,” Lisa offered.

“Ok. We have a plan then. I’m going to go out and let Vin and Buck know.”

Exiting the Ezra’s room, Chris quickly located Buck and Vin. He also noticed that, as he’d predicted, Mahon and Moyer were still close by and overheard what he’d told Buck and Vin. Once he heard that he wouldn’t be able to question Ezra anymore, Mahon decided there was no need for them to say.

“How bad is it really,” Vin asked once the FBI agents had left. “We should call the others. They’re going to want to know.”

Chris glanced up the hall, making sure neither of the FBI agents were visible then pulled Buck and Vin back into Ezra’s room. They were both surprised to see their friend wasn’t in the dire shape they’d been expecting. After quickly explaining the change in the plan they’d come up with, they set it all into motion.


	8. Chapter 8

The move from Ezra’s hospital room to a non-descript car from the motor pool went off without a hitch. It was decided that Chris would drive Ezra to the cabin with Vin along for back up. After dropping the car off at the hospital, JD and Buck went ahead to get things set up at the cabin. Josiah and Nathan would follow behind.

“Maybe you should take those off yet,” Vin said from the back seat as Ezra reached to pull off the ballcap, sunglasses, and surgical mask he was wearing.

“We’ve been on the road for twenty minutes and there isn’t another car in sight,” Ezra pointed out. “I think I’m safe to lose the disguise.”

Vin looked around the road and confirmed what Ezra had said. There wasn’t another car on the road that he could see. “I guess so.” He leaned forward so his head was poking through to the front. “You feeling ok? It doesn’t look very comfortable having your arm tied up like that.”

“As well as can be expected.” At that moment, the car hit a pothole jarring the occupants. “I’d be better if Mr. Larabee could lessen his attempt to send this vehicle into orbit,” He forced out through gritted teeth.

“Sorry about that,” Chris said contritely as he glanced briefly toward the passenger seat. “I’ll do my best to avoid them but it’s going to get worse. From what the Judge described we’ll have to drive up a dirt road to get to the cabin.”

“Lovely,” Ezra sighed. “Is the time on that correct?” he asked pointing to the dashboard clock.

Vin checked the time on his phone then looked at the clock. “It’s about fifteen minutes fast. You got a date we don’t know about.”

Ezra turned as much as he could to face Vin, grimacing as the movement pulled at his shoulder. “Yes, Vin. I have a date with the lovely Percocet if you really must know.” He didn’t even try to hide his sarcasm. His shoulder had started to throb shortly after he got in the car and the uneven ride had only served to exacerbate it. All he wanted to do was take the prescribed pain medication and get horizontal until the pain had subsided. It didn’t help that he was also feel fatigued since the panic attack. Even though the doctor said it was normal to feel that way, it didn’t mean he had to like it. “You did remember to bring the prescriptions Dr. Masters arranged for?”

Vin held up the small white bag the doctor had given him. “Got ‘em right here,” he said as he opened it and looked in it. “There’s also stuff in here to change the dressing on the incision...but I guess Nathan probably has some of that, too.” He held the bottle of painkillers out to Ezra. “You want one?”

Letting out a sigh, Ezra shook his head. “If that clock is, indeed, fifteen minutes fast, I won’t be able to take it for another thirty minutes.”

Chris looked over to Ezra in concern. He wasn’t used to Ezra asking for painkillers so that was an indication of how much pain he was in. “That cooler thing have ice in it?” he asked Vin.

“Filled it before we left the hospital. Why?”

Chris spotted a sign indicating there was a rest area in ten miles. “Get on the phone with Josiah. Let him know we’re pulling off at the next rest area.”

“May I inquire why you feel the need to stop?” Ezra asked.

“Because, your shoulder is bothering you and both your doctor and the physical therapist said it would help to keep icing it down. If your shoulder is a little more comfortable, maybe the headache you have won’t get worse...or did you want another migraine like the one you had yesterday?”

Ezra looked at Chris in surprise. Although he did have a headache, he hadn’t said anything about it. “How did you know?”

“You keep rubbing your forehead,” Chris said with a shrug. “Besides, Dr. Masters said it might happen.”

“And you’ve got those tiny lines between your eyes like your scrunching your forehead up,” Vin chimed in from the back seat as he dialed Josiah’s number. “What?” he asked when Ezra turned surprised eyes on him. “I noticed when you turned around to ask me about the prescriptions. I’m not blind, you know.”

Letting out a breath, Ezra turned back around and slumped in the seat. “I do have a bit of a headache. I’m just not sure if it’s wise to...” he trailed off when he heard Vin talking on the phone and letting Josiah know they were going to pull off at the next rest area.

“See you there.” Vin disconnected and leaned into the front seat again. “Josiah and Nathan are right behind us. They’ll meet us at the rest stop. Nathan wants to check you.”

“Of course, he does,” Ezra said under his breath. Louder, he continued, “You may have a cooler of ice but how do you propose using that on my shoulder.

It

“We’ll just hook you up to that Cryo thing,” Chris answered.

Ezra huffed out a little laugh at Chris’s answer. “I’m assuming you missed the part where it has to be plugged in. Do you propose an extra-long extension cord? I’m assuming you don’t plan to stay parked in a rest area for the twenty minutes it would need to be on.”

Chris lightly hit the steering wheel. “I forgot about having to plug it in. You’re right, I don’t want to take any longer than necessary to get you under wraps. We might have gotten out of the hospital without anyone the wiser, but I don’t want to press my luck. Vin, better let Josiah know we’re not going to be stopping.” He looked over to Ezra in concern. “Are you going to be ok until we get to the cabin?” He didn’t like what he was seeing. Ezra looked tired and his face was pinched with pain. He knew the panic attack caused the fatigue, but he’d feel better the sooner Ezra was somewhere he could rest.

“I don’t see that I have much choice.”

They drove in silence for another few minutes. Chris could tell by the way Ezra kept shifting and the way he kept rubbing his forehead that neither the shoulder pain nor the headache was getting any better. “You getting any of that aura stuff the doctor talked about?”

“No.” Ezra didn’t mention that the migraine the day before hadn’t been preceded by an aura either. “I don’t believe it’s another migraine. It’s probably just left over from yesterday and the…um…the panic. I’ll be fine.” Neither of the other two men missed the note of embarrassment in Ezra’s voice.

“Don’t be a martyr, Ez.” Vin reached into the bag from hospital and pulled out the bottle of Percocet he’d been given for pain. I don’t think it’ll hurt if you take a pain pill a little early. You know how Nathan always tells us it’s best to stay ahead of the pain.”

Ezra was going to argue that he could wait but quickly decided he just didn’t have the energy to deal with the discomfort anymore. “Ok,” he agreed softly. He accepted the pill Vin handed him then the opened bottle of water.

“Why don’t you try to get some shut eye,” Chris suggested. “We’re still about an hour away.”

“Maybe,” Ezra hedged although he did lean his head back and close his eyes.

Both Vin and Chris kept silent hoping Ezra would fall asleep. Within fifteen minutes of taking the Percocet, his breathing evened out and deepened and he started to slump over toward the passenger door. Just before his head would have hit the window – and probably would have woken him up – Vin managed to get his balled-up coat in place to cushion his head.

*******************

Just about two hours later, Chris pulled up at Judge Travis’s cabin. He and Vin were both amazed that Ezra had stayed asleep even as they drove up the rough dirt road. As Chris eased the car to a stop, Ezra shifted slightly in his sleep but didn’t wake up.

“That’s a cabin?” Vin asked in amazement as he leaned into the front seat to get a better look through the front window. “I think me and the Judge have different definitions of what a cabin is.”

“It is a bit bigger than I was expecting.” Chris agreed looking at the two-story log “cabin”. If the outside was anything to judge by, the inside probably had all the comforts of home and then some. He reached over and jiggled Ezra’s knee slightly. “Wake up, Ezra. We’re here.”

Ezra pulled in a quick breath then his eyes blinked open slowly. He straightened up from where he was leaning against Vin’s coat and the window. “I fell asleep,” he needlessly said as he rubbed his hand over his face. He took another deep breath and looked around. “We’re here?”

“We are,” Chris agreed. He was trying to keep the amused look off his face. Although Ezra was awake, it was plain to see he was still under the influence of the Percocet. From experience, he knew that particular painkiller tended to make Ezra more than a bit dopey for a while. “Don’t move and one of us will help you get out. Last thing you need is to take a header getting out of the car.”

“I’m ok. I can do it,” Ezra mumbled trying to assert some independence. He groped at the seatbelt latch but couldn’t seem to get his fingers to coordinate to release it. “It’s stuck.”

“Yeah, that’s it,” Vin agreed. He didn’t even bother to hide his amusement. “You got to watch out for those seatbelts that get stuck. You just sit tight, and we’ll get you unstuck.”

Chris reached to open his door. As he was getting out, he turned to Vin, “I’ll go around and get him out. You make sure he stays stuck ‘til I’ get over there.”

“I’m not a child,” Ezra groused as he continued trying to unlatch the seatbelt. “I’m right here.”

Vin leaned over to the front seat and put his hand over Ezra’s and assisted him in releasing the latch. “No one think you’re a kid. We just want to make sure you get into the cabin ok since you’re still loopy from that pill you took.”

Ezra stilled his movements and turned his unsteady gaze to the window. He barely glanced over as Chris pulled open his door. “Cabin,” he scoffed. “That is no cabin. It’s more like a chalet although it is rustic.”

“Chalet, cabin, hut, whatever. Let’s just get you into it,” Chris said as he reached in to help Ezra turn around on the seat and swing his legs out the door. “Easy does it,” he cautioned as guided Ezra out of the car. He made sure to keep a hand over his head so he wouldn’t smack it into the door frame.

Ezra stumbled his first step away from the car prompting Chris to slip a hand around his waist to steady him. “I don’t think you’ve got your sea legs yet.” He slowly guided him the short distance to cabin porch and up the single step. As they reached the door, he heard Josiah and Nathan pull in behind him. At the same time, Buck pulled open the door.

“Hail, hail, the gang’s all here,” Ezra muttered as he shrugged off Chris’s aid. “I’m fine. I can walk on my own.”

Chris released his assistive hold, not wanting to antagonize Ezra but he did keep close by. He shook his head slightly at Buck warning him not to try to help. Nothing, however, could stop JD’s enthusiasm as the came through the door. “Check out this place. When Judge Travis said a cabin, I thought it was going to be small with a couple of rooms, but this place is massive.”

There was no denying JD’s description. The “cabin” was anything but. The foyer opened into an open plan living room the flowed seamlessly to the kitchen. Warm wood paneling covered the walls and massive stone fireplace dominated one wall. A staircase led to what Chris assumed were bedrooms. Heavy wood furniture richly upholstered in deep blues and greens looked both functional and inviting. A staircase led to what Chris assumed were bedrooms. “I guess we’re not going to be roughing it.”

“It doesn’t,” Ezra agreed. He took a few steps and stumbled again prompting Chris to, once more support him. This time, he didn’t try to shake off the assistive hold.

“How about we get you to that couch right now and we can check out the place later,” Chris suggested. Even though Ezra had slept for the last hour of the drive, Chris could still see the man was still plainly exhausted. Even though it seemed like longer with all that had been going on, it was just over twenty-four hours since he’d had surgery. Thankfully, JD and Buck had had the foresight to make a bed up on the couch.

As Chris settled Ezra on the couch, Vin came in with the bags they’d had in the car. “Thought you might want to start icing your shoulder down.” He put the water reservoir from the cryo cuff down on the end table.

“I’d rather start working and doing what I can to find that girl.” Ezra looked around the room until he spotted JD. “Did you get a computer set up for me here?”

Chris didn’t give JD a chance to answer before taking charge of the situation. “Right now, you’re going to ice your shoulder and get some rest and I’m not going to argue that with you. You’re not even supposed to be working for three weeks. In case you forgot, you had surgery yesterday and things haven’t exactly gone to plan.”

“He’s right,” Nathan chimed in. “Especially after having that panic attack this morning. You need to take it easy, not dive into working.” As he spoke, Nathan was pulling stuff out of his medical bag. “I’m going to give you a once over and then you’re going to eat some lunch. Once you’ve done that, you’re going to lie down for a while and get some rest. If you’re doing ok after that, maybe then JD can see about getting a computer set up for you.”

Ezra looked around at the other six men. They all looked determined and he knew he didn’t have the energy necessary to go against all of them. “Fine,” he acquiesced. “If it’ll make y’all happy, but I refuse to be coddled past today.” When none of the six said anything, just kept looking at him, he added, “I mean it.”

“Of course, you do, son.” Josiah sat on the couch next to Ezra and patted him lightly on the back. “And you need to accept that we mean it when we say we’re not going to let anything happen to you either because of Sebastian Gabriel or because you want to rush into things.”

Blowing out a breath, Ezra let himself collapse against the back of the couch. He knew if he were going to be able to do anything to help in the safe recovery of Deanna Willoughby, he’d have to go along, at least for now. “So, what’s for lunch?”


	9. Chapter 9

After lunch and napping on the couch for several of hours, Ezra woke up refreshed and ready to get to work.

“Have a good rest?” Josiah asked when he saw Ezra starting to sit up on the couch.

Ezra started to stretch but curtailed the movement at the last moment knowing he wouldn’t be able to move his left arm. “It was quite refreshing.” He pulled himself up to sit with his back braced against the pillow leaning on the arm of the couch. “Seems quiet. Where is everyone?”

“Buck and JD are following up on a few leads in the Kirkland case....the one with the illegal cigarettes...and Chris and Vin have gone back to the office to see if they can get anything on Gabriel.”

“And I suppose in addition to you, Nathan has also felt the need to stay here so he can hover over me?” A half-smile took out any sting from Ezra’s words.

“You know there are always two agents assigned to a safe house duty.”

“I am not a protected witness,” Ezra stated firmly. “And I don’t want to be treated as one. Did Chris tell you what we talked about the other night?” he demanded. “I know he told Buck and Vin. Does everyone now know?” He was torn whether he wanted to the others to know or not. Intellectually, he knew that nothing that happened during his last run in with Sebastian Gabriel was his fault nor was it anything he had to be embarrassed about. Getting his heart to agree to that sentiment, though, was an entirely different matter.

“I don’t know what you and Chris talked about. He hasn’t broken your confidence, nor do I expect him to without your permission. All Nathan, JD, and I know is that you had an unsavory run in with him in the past and that that letter that came for you yesterday had a credible threat. Based on that, we are going to do our utmost to keep you protected and you’re just going to have to deal with that.”

“It’s not that I don’t want you to know, Josiah,” Ezra said softly. “I’m just not sure I can talk about it again.” He pulled a deep breath and let it out shakily. “I really thought I’d put it behind me. You can imagine my chagrin to find out that it’s still there waiting to haunt me in the dark like some bogeyman or something.”

“We all have our bête noirs, Ezra. Every single one of us has had something that waits until we don’t expect it to come out and haunt us. There’s no weakness or shame in that.”

“Appearances are everything,” Ezra quietly said while avoiding Josiah’s gaze.

“What? I didn’t catch that?”

“Appearances are everything,” Ezra repeated louder. “It’s something my mother used to say when I was a child. Appearing weak was not something to aspire to...unless there was a payoff.”

“I thought you and Maude has gotten past that.”

Ezra shrugged his right shoulder. “Some lessons can’t be unlearned all that easily and there are some things that don’t change.”

Josiah was thoughtful for a moment as he looked for the words that would reach through to his friend. “So, are you saying if your mother knew what happened...and I’m not asking you to tell me...she’d think you were weak?”

A wry chuckle escaped Ezra and he shook his head. “If Mother knew, there is no doubt Sebastian Gabriel would no longer be in this world.”

“But would she think that you were weak?” Josiah pressed.

For a few moments Ezra was quiet as he mulled over the question. Finally, he shook his head slightly. “I honestly don’t know. I’d like to think not but...I don’t know.”

The answer made Josiah’s heart ache for Ezra. As much as mother and son had worked on and deepened their relationship since Ezra’s appendectomy, there was still so much uncertainty in Ezra.

“If my opinion counts for much, I’d say Maude would be damned proud of you, son. Whatever happened, you haven’t used it as an excuse. Seems to me that’s something else she might have taught you.”

“How do you know so much about my mother, Josiah?”

“It’s simple,” Josiah replied with a fond smile. “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing her son.”

*******************

Once he knew Ezra was awake, Nathan insisted on checking him over again. “Will I live to see the sunset,” Ezra asked jokingly once he was done.

“Well, your temp is a little elevated – just over 99. Your discharge instructions say to call if it’s 101 or higher...”

“So, there’s no cause to worry,” Ezra cut in. “I don’t feel feverish nor do I feel ill and 99 is barely higher than normal.”

“Still...” Nathan began to say only for Ezra to cut him off again.

“Still nothing. Now unhook me from this infernal ice machine so I can use the restroom.” He gave Nathan a pointed look. “And do not even think about accompanying me.”

“Whatever you say.” Nathan unhooked the tubing from the cryo cuff and watched as Ezra disappeared into the restroom. “Don’t even say it,” he cautioned Josiah. “If we don’t keep him reined in, you know he’s just going to push himself. You know how stubborn he is.”

“I don’t know that.” Josiah took Ezra’s seat on the couch next to Nathan. “What I do know is that he’d want the same consideration any of the rest of us would want. You need...we all need to stop hovering and take our leads from Ezra. He’s not crazy enough to do anything that would compromise his recovery.”

“Ok. I’ll back off. I just hope you’re right.”

*******************

“Thank you,” Chris said before hanging up the phone and slouching down in his seat. Both the abduction of Deanna Willoughby and providing protection for Ezra were out of the ATF’s authority and Judge Travis was pulling a lot of strings and was running a lot of interference for Team Seven so they could remain involved in both. However, they still had to keep up with their current case load which is why he, Vin, Buck, and JD were in the office on a Saturday following up on some leads for one of the ongoing cases. Unfortunately, none of those leads had paid off yet.

When the phone rang, he was willing to give even money that it was either another lead that was going to fizzle out or another favor he was going to owe someone. He grabbed the receiver on the second ring. He didn’t get the chance to say anything before an angry voice shouted at him, “Where the fuck is he?”

Chris was caught off guard for a moment. “Who is this?” he demanded.

“I think you know who it is.”

After a beat, Chris finally put a name to the voice. “Mahon?”

“Yeah. I want to know where you have him hidden. I know he’s not at the hospital. I want to know where he is and what kind of bullshit game you’re playing.”

Chris blew out a quick breath. He knew the ruse of Ezra being in the hospital wouldn’t last forever but he’d hoped for at least twenty-four hours. “He’s somewhere safe...and don’t ask where. The ATF has assumed protection duty for Agent Standish and his whereabouts are on a need to know basis...and I’ve decided that you don’t need to know.”

“He could have knowledge that’s integral to this case. You’re stepping way outside your authority, Larabee.”

Chris got up and started pacing the few steps the phone cord allowed. The last thing he wanted to do right now was deal with Nick Mahon...or any other FBI agent. “You can take that up with Judge Travis. He’s given us the assignment of protecting Agent Standish. It’s an assignment I take seriously so you can forget about getting anywhere near him.”

Mahon made a few more demands for the location Ezra was at but Chris rebuffed each one and referred him to the judge. Finally, he had enough. “Look, Mahon, I know what kind of sleaze you are. I know what you put Ezra through in the past and you’re not getting a chance at him again. I’m in charge and we’re going to play by my rules, you hear me?”

“This isn’t over, Larabee,” Mahon threatened. “I’ll be talking to your Judge Travis and then I’ll be talking with Standish. Count on it.”

The phone disconnected before Chris could say anything else. Dropping wearily back to the chair, he leaned over to dial the judge and warn him about what was coming his way.

******************

Much to his chagrin, Ezra spent most of the rest of the afternoon dozing on and off on the couch. It wasn’t until dinner time when Chris, Vin, Buck, and JD returned to the cabin that he finally felt alert and not like he was going to nod off.

Josiah made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and Ezra was thankful that it was something he could eat with one hand. He’d been a bit worried that someone would get it in his head that it was a great night for steaks leaving him dependent on someone to cut his meal for him. The way the last twenty-four plus hours had gone, that would have been just a little more than his ego could take.

“So, who’s up for a card game,” Buck asked once they’d finished dinner. “I figure tonight’s the night if any of us are ever going to have a chance against Ezra...unless you can do all that fancy shuffling one-handed.”

“Don’t you think it’s unfair to take advantage if Ezra’s a little less sharp than usual?” JD asked.

“Less sharp? I can assure you, JD, that I’m as sharp as I normally am. While I’d like nothing better than fill my pockets with whatever you gentleman have to spare...and I can shuffle quite well with only one hand...I’d like to get to work. There are a few contacts I’d like to check in with that might have some ideas about Gabriel. Need I remind you gentleman that there is still a young girl who’s missing.”

“None of us have forgotten, Ezra. Vin, Buck, JD and I have been chasing down whatever we could all day.”

“While Josiah and Nathan have been babysitting me,” Ezra finished for Chris. “I apologize. I know you gentleman have been hard at work all day. Perhaps you’d still permit me to do what I can. You were able to set something up for me, weren’t you?” he asked JD.

JD waited for a subtle nod from Chris. “Uh...yeah. I’ve got a laptop set up for you in the office. You’re all set to go.”

“Thank you.” Ezra stood up from the table and looked around. “If you could just point me in the right direction. I’m afraid the only rooms I’ve seen so far are the living room and kitchen.”

Chris pointed to a closed door. “Do me a favor. Don’t make Nathan come in there and get you.”

Ezra shook his head subtly. It was going to be almost impossible to escape the hovering of his friends. The thought had him feeling both touched by the concern as well as disconcerted at the attention given to him. Hopefully, he could get a couple of hours undisturbed and not have to deal with any of the feelings.

Pushing the door to the office closed behind him, he looked around the well-appointed office. He’d been surprised when they’d pulled up at what Judge Travis had called a cabin but was really anything but. The office was no different. Finished in heavy, dark wood, it had a very masculine, and somewhat rustic, look to it. That was offset by the state-of-the-art equipment that was visible.

He opened the laptop that was on the desk and turned it on. While he waited for it to boot up, he was drawn to the ceiling to floor sliding doors that opened onto a deck. The view of the mountains was, in a word, breath taking. The setting sun painted the sky in shades of pinks, purples, and oranges. Ezra knew that once night truly fell, without the pollution of city lights, the sky would turn into patchwork of stars. Under other circumstances, it was a location where he’d love to just get away from it all for a while.

He pulled himself away from the view and made his way back to the desk. The sign-in screen had come up and he quickly typed in his credentials. By habit, the first thing he did once he was logged in was open Outlook to check his email. Normally, he’d slip off to the breakroom while his email loaded to get either a cup of coffee or, if the coffee in the pot was below his standards, he’d get a cup of tea. He didn’t see any reason to change his routine now.

“Problem,” JD asked when Ezra came out of the office.

Ezra saw that the others were cleaning up the table from dinner and felt bad for not helping. He picked up one of the plates that were still on the table. “I...um...I should help with this.”

Chris took the plate from him and, as gently as possible, turned him back to the office. “No manual work, remember. You just go back in there and do your thing.”

It didn’t take much to twist Ezra’s arm to convince him he wasn’t needed for dinner cleanup. “If you insist. I would like to get a cup of coffee, though.”

“Tea might be a better choice,” Nathan suggested. He moved closer to Ezra and lowered his voice so only he could hear him. “Vin made the pot in the kitchen.”

“You’re right, Nathan. Tea is more therapeutic.”

“Go back to what you were doing, and I’ll bring it into you.”

“Thank you.” Ezra went back into the office and settled on the desk chair. He noticed how comfortable it was and wondered if there was any way he could persuade Chris to let him expense a similar one to have in the office. While he let one part of his mind ponder how he could go about doing that, he started to scan the email in his inbox. Less than halfway through the list, his mouth went dry and his heart sped up when he saw the who it was from – Sebastian Gabriel. Just before he clicked to open it, there was a light knock on the door. Expecting it was Nathan, he minimized his inbox, took a deep breath, and put on what he hoped was a bland expression.

“Just like you like it,” Nathan said as he put the mug down on the desk. He looked like he wanted to say something – more hovering, Ezra thought – but he settled for, “give a yell if you need anything.”

Ezra smiled his thanks and nodded. Once Nathan left and closed the door, he opened the email from Gabriel. He could feel the blood drain from his face when, in the first sentence, Gabriel wished him a speedy recovery from his surgery. Either he’d been watching Ezra or there was some internal leak that was feeding him information.

The email went on to say that Gabriel had Deanna Willoughby, as they’d suspected. What wasn’t expected was Gabriel offering a deal. If Ezra met him, he’d release the girl. Of course, the catch was that Ezra had to come alone and make sure none of the others knew where he was going. Gabriel went on to give a location where Ezra was to meet him. He then went on to describe in very vivid detail all that he had planned for Ezra. If Ezra chose not to comply with the conditions for Deanna’s release, Gabriel went on to describe, again in vivid detail, what he’d do to the girl.

As he read, Ezra could feel his heart and breathing speed up and his palms become sweaty. His first instinct was to call the others and make them aware of Gabriel’s email and then go hide in a deep dark hole. Knowing that would only result in unimaginable horror for Deanna, he pulled in a few deep breaths and quelled that instinct. He could not...he would not...let that girl suffer even a fraction of what Gabriel had said would happen. He’d have to comply with Gabriel’s demands, and he’d have to do so without the others knowing...or not knowing right away.

He forwarded the email to his personal email address, so he’d have the information on his phone. Then, he composed a response to the email letting Gabriel know he’d adhere to his demands and that he’d meet him at the appointed location at midnight. That would give him plenty of time to slip out of the cabin without the others knowing. He’d have to borrow one of their vehicles to get to the location. He wasn’t fool enough to go unarmed so he’d have to make a detour to his condo first.

It was only a few minutes before he received another email from Gabriel acknowledging the time for the meet. Once he’d read it, he deleted both of the emails from Gabriel as well as the saved copy of the email he’d sent and then emptied the deleted items folder. Although he didn’t want to bring his teammates in on the meet just yet, he also wasn’t foolish enough to think he could secure Deanna’s and his own freedom without their assistance. He left the laptop on and he left Outlook opened to the empty deleted items folder. He knew it wouldn’t take his teammates long to discover he was missing. Knowing JD, the first thing he’d want to do was check to see if there was anything in Ezra’s email. He hoped his young friend would take the hint he was leaving that there had been an email and recover what he’d deleted.

Having a sketchy plan of what he was going to do, Ezra sat back in the chair and concentrated on evening out his breathing and constructing a façade of calm before he went out to the others. He’d feign tiredness and, once he was alone in a bedroom, would work to effect leaving the cabin without anyone else the wiser. He knew he was taking a risk that his teammates, and JD in particular, would be able to figure out the sketchy hint he was leaving, but if it meant he could get Deanna from Gabriel’s clutches, that was all he cared about...even if he did have to forfeit his own life to do so.


	10. Chapter 10

When he rejoined the others, no one would guess from Ezra’s outward appearance that anything was amiss. They invited him to join in the poker game they’d started but he declined. “I think I’m going to step outside for a bit and get some air.” What he really wanted was to get a feel for how things were laid out outside of the cabin. He wanted to see whose vehicles were there and how far from the cabin they were. He also wanted to get a feel for how he could exit the cabin using only one arm and without anyone knowing.

“Hold up,” Chris demanded. “You’re not going outside. You’re here so we can make sure no one can get to you. It defeats the purpose if you’re taking a walk outside.”

“Who knows I’m here? As far as everyone knows, I’m still in the hospital.” When Chris didn’t answer but looked away, Ezra asked, “What aren’t you telling me?”

“I got a call from Mahon earlier. He wanted to know where you were. He knows you’re not in the hospital.”

Ezra took a couple of steps in Chris’s direction. “And you conveniently forgot to tell me this?”

“I handled it. I told him he wasn’t going to have access to you. I didn’t think it was necessary to...”

“You didn’t think it was necessary?” Ezra asked in a low voice. “You didn’t think it was necessary that I should know that your wonderful plan didn’t even work for 24 hours?”

Chris got up and moved in Ezra’s direction. “Hang on. It’s not like what you’re thinking. I just didn’t want to get you worried that he was going to be coming out here...especially after this morning.”

For the briefest moment, the others could see the embarrassment Ezra felt at the mention of what had happened earlier before, once again, he had the bland façade back in place. “Do not assume that because I had a...an unpleasant event this morning that that means I’m too weak to know the truth.”

“I don’t think you’re weak. None of thinks you’re weak but let’s face facts. You had a panic attack...not that anyone could blame you. I think it might happen to any of us knowing that the man that almost raped you is out there and wants to do it again.” It was only after the words were out of his mouth that Chris realized what he’d done. Although Ezra had permitted him to share with Vin and Buck what had happened, Nathan, Josiah, and JD still didn’t know. Now he’d betrayed Ezra’s trust that he wouldn’t share what he’d been told with anyone without Ezra’s permission.

The sound of a pin hitting the floor would have sounded as loud as thunder in the silence that followed Chris’s words. Ezra’s face blanched of any color and his eyes grew wide. “You promised,” he whispered. “I trusted you.”

“Shit! Ezra, I’m sorry. I am so sorry. I didn’t mean it. It just....”

“Yes, it did ‘just’, Mr. Larabee.” Ezra took in the shocked countenances of Josiah, JD, and Nathan. “Perhaps you should explain what you ‘just’.” He backed away a few steps then turned around. “I’m going to get some air.”

Neither Chris nor any of the others attempted to stop him this time. He pulled open the door and stepped out on the wide porch. Night had fallen and, as he’d predicted when he’d been looking out the windows in the office, the sky was a patchwork of twinkling stars. He didn’t see any of them, though, as he squeezed his eyes shut and pulled in some deep breaths to calm himself.

******************

Inside, it was still an uncomfortable silence that Vin finally broke. “I’ll go out with him. You better explain...and come up with a damned good apology.” He didn’t wait for Chris to acknowledge him before he followed Ezra out the door. “Hey,” he said softly when he saw Ezra just standing.

Even though he’d heard the door open and close Ezra still flinched when he heard Vin’s voice. “I assume you’re the designated babysitter.”

“Nope. Just thought you might want someone to talk to.” Vin moved so he was standing side by side with Ezra. “You know Chris didn’t mean it. He’s worried about you. Hell, we all are.”

A small, tight smile flashed across Ezra’s face. “Yes. Worry makes it perfectly acceptable to break someone’s confidence.”

“No. It doesn’t. Chris made a mistake...a huge mistake and you have every right to be pissed at him. I know I would. But you should also know that the last thing he meant to do was hurt you.”

Ezra made an aborted attempt to cross his arms over his chest before jamming his right hand in the pocket of his sweatshirt. “What one means to do and what one does are often at odds with each other but, sometimes, they are the same.”

“Do you really think that’s what Chris wanted to do? Do you really think he wanted to just blurt out your secret?”

Ezra pulled his hand from his pocket and rubbed it across his forehead. It was all starting to be too much for him. Just a couple of days ago he thought the worst part of these days would be having to rely on someone to cut his food for him or help him get dressed. Instead, a bogeyman from his past had come back to haunt him; an event he viewed as both embarrassing and weak had been revealed to the men whose respect he most sought; and the responsibility of a young girl’s life now rested squarely on his shoulders. “No,” he said softly. “I think we can agree that Chris can be a bastard at times but he’s not malicious. I realize it was a mistake. I just wasn’t ready for it to be said so cavalierly.”

“I guess I understand that.” Vin lay comforting hand on Ezra’s shoulder. “You gonna be ok?”

Ezra nodded as he looked out at the array of vehicles parked in front of the cabin taking note that the agency car was parked furthest away. “I’ll be right as rain given time,” he assured Vin. He gestured to the side of the porch that wrapped around the house. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was in the same direction as the office. “I’d just like to explore a little...get some air. Should I assume you’re going to follow me?”

“I’d rather Chris didn’t separate my head from my body.”

“That would be a wise choice.” Ezra led the way around to the side of the cabin with Vin following silently. He was grateful that his friend didn’t push him to talk any more.

As they rounded the corner, Ezra could see that he was right in assuming it was where the office was. The wrap around porch ended at the deck he’d seen when looking out the office doors. Above it was another, slightly smaller deck with a spiral staircase connecting it to the ground floor. He gestured up to it. “Must be the master bedroom.”

“Yup. I did a little exploring before dinner. It’s a beut. The bathroom has a jacuzzi in it and everything. The judge pulled out all the stops with this place.”

“It should do just fine,” Ezra murmured. If he were in that room, he’d be able to leave without having to use the interior stairs. He’d have to be careful picking his way across the ground in the dark to get to the agency car but there would be less chance of any of his friends seeing him than if he stuck to the lighted porch and deck.

“What should do just fine?”

“Hmm....” Ezra said remembering Vin was with him. “If it’s the best room in the cabin, it should do just fine as a start for Chris to make up his faux pas to me. After all, I should get the best room, shouldn’t I? I am recovering and all.”

“Uh...yeah,” Vin agreed not know why, but immediately not trusting the wide crocodile grin Ezra was giving him. He pointed over his shoulder back to where the front of the cabin was. “You ready to get back inside before a search party comes out?”

“Lead the way, my friend.”

**************

When they came back in, Ezra could tell by the looks on his friends’ faces that Chris had told them about his last run in with Sebastian Gabriel. JD and Nathan both look slightly shocked. Josiah, on the other hand, looked downright murderous. The look momentarily froze Ezra in his tracks.

The first one to say anything was Chris. “Ezra, you need to know I never meant to betray your trust.”

Ezra held up a hand before he could say anything else. “I know, Chris. Although it may have seemed otherwise when I stormed out, I do trust you.” He looked around to take in the rest of the men. “I'd prefer, though, that we didn’t speak about this anymore. Please.” He forced a small smile to his face. “Right now, I think I’d like to turn in for the night. It’s been a trying day.”

“Yeah, sure,” Chris answered trying not to sigh.

“I also heard,” Ezra continued with a wider smile, “The master bedroom comes with a jacuzzi. I’m sure you gentlemen will agree that that would be the best room for me.”

“Whoa. Hang on,” Nathan protested. “You can’t be getting that incision wet yet.”

“Of course not,” Ezra readily agreed. “However, I think it’s fair to assume that room will have the most comfortable bed and since I am still recovering...” He trailed off and, if possible, his smile got wider.

Nathan shook his head slightly and barely held back a chuckle. “Always playing the angles,” he said good naturedly. “C’mon. I’ll take you up there and change the dressing before you turn in.”

**************

Nathan let out a low whistle when they walked into the bedroom. “Judge Travis sure is full of surprises.”

The room was as luxurious as Ezra thought it might be. He crossed the room to the floor to ceiling sliding doors that looked much like the ones in the office. Sure enough, they led out to a deck and he could see the stairs going down to the ground level. That would make his getaway much easier.

“Take a seat and I’ll get the dressing changed.”

Ezra sat on the edge of the bed and could feel how comfortable it was. Under any other circumstances, he’d be quite content to spend the entire night right where he was. He watched Nathan unzip the bag he’d brought up with him and pull out the supplies necessary to change the dressing over the incision and put them on the bedside table. “I’m not sure how those can help you change a dressing,” he said when Nathan also took out a thermometer, blood pressure cuff, and stethoscope.

“I want to give you a quick check, too...make sure your temp hasn’t gone up any higher.”

Ezra squeezed his eyes close long enough to quell his urge to argue with Nathan. If he wanted to get out of the cabin, back to Denver, and to the meet location on time, he needed to get Nathan out of the room as quickly as possible. “If you insist,” he agreed realizing he could use Nathan’s insistence in his favor by countering with a little insistence of his own. “I’ll submit to your check up on one condition. When you’re done, you go back downstairs, and you all continue your game. This place is big enough that you don’t all need to be quiet as mice, so you don’t disturb me.” If the others were engrossed in their game, it would afford him some cover in his getaway.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re up to something.” Nathan quickly looked over to the door that led to the master bath and the jacuzzi. “I’m serious about not getting that incision wet.”

“I wasn’t even thinking of it,” Ezra assured him. “You have my word.”

“Ok,” Nathan agreed reluctantly. “How’s the pain feeling right now? I’m probably going to have to move your arm around a little.”

“It’s not bad right now,” Ezra replied truthfully. He wanted to avoid taking any painkillers since they dulled his thinking.

“Let me know if it hurts too much. If it does, you can take a pain pill and I’ll do this once it kicks in.” With great care, Nathan removed the immobilizer and sling then set them aside. He carefully watching Ezra’s face for any sign of pain, but he didn’t so much as wince. “Ok. Now let’s get the sweatshirt off. I can help you in some pajamas once I’m done.”

“Uh...no. I can sleep in this.” There was no way he was going to meet Gabriel in a pair of pajamas, but Ezra also knew he wouldn’t be able to put on any kind of shirt without some help.

Nathan shrugged. “If you say so.” He pulled down the zipper on the sweatshirt and eased it off Ezra’s left shoulder and down his arm. “I’m just going to wash up before I take off the dressing. Just sit tight.”

While Nathan was gone from the room, Ezra took the time to rotate his wrist and flex his fingers as the physical therapist he’d seen before being discharged had told him to do when the sling was off. Next, he experimented with bending his elbow. There was some slight discomfort but nothing too bad. He heard Nathan come back as he was unbending his elbow. “I’m only moving as much as the physical therapist said to.”

“I know. It’s good to keep your elbow and wrist from freezing up.” He sat down on the bed next to Ezra and reached for a pair of gloves and pulled them on. Only then did he remove the bandage. “Doesn’t look bad.”

“I’ll take your word,” Ezra agreed doubtfully. It was the first time he’d seen the incision. To him, it looked anything but good.”

“Well, it does.” Gently, Nathan cleaned the wound with saline and then taped a new dressing in place. He gathered up the old dressing and supplied he’d used and put them in a plastic bag to dispose of then went to wash his hands again. “Ok,” he said when he came back in the room. “I’m just going to take your blood pressure and temperature then I’ll help you get dressed and get the sling and immobilizer in place again.”

“What’s the verdict?” Ezra asked when Nathan was done with his examination.  
  


“Your BP is good, but you’re temp’s up a bit since earlier.”

“How much is a bit?”

“It was 99.1. Now it’s 99.4.”

“Which is still below the threshold for fever,” Ezra pointed out. “And before you ask, I still feel fine.”

“A post op infection can be serious. You don’t want to fool around with one.”

“I know that, Nathan. Trust me, I am not going to do anything foolish that would compromise my recovery. Trust me.”

“Ok,” Nathan said after a moment. He reached to pull the sweatshirt back in place and zipped it. “You sure you want to sleep in this. Pajamas would be more comfortable.”

“But not as warm.”

“Ok.” Nathan got the sling and immobilizer back on then helped Ezra to settle in bed as comfortably as possible. “Just give a yell if you need anything.”

“I will.” Ezra waited until Nathan was out of the room and had closed the door before getting out the bed. He reached into the pocket of the sweatshirt and pulled out the keys for the agency car. When he’d come in with Vin, he’d discretely picked them up from the table by the door. The tag on the key fob made them easily identifiable. From the other pocket, he pulled out his phone that he’d brought up with him.

He silently padded over to the chair by the doors where someone had left his bag. Unzipping it, he reached and rifled around until he found his wallet and his keys. He set them down on the table with his phone and the car keys. He sat on the side of the bed stuffed his feet into his sneakers. He wouldn’t be able to tie them one-handed so he settled for stuffing the laces inside so he wouldn’t trip over them. Now, all he had to do was wait for the others to once more be engrossed in their game. He just had to time it right. If he waited too long, one of them would probably feel compelled to come up and check on him. If he made his move too soon, they might not be suitably occupied and would hear him.


	11. Chapter 11

The factory had been abandoned for several years. It was dark and damp with exposed metal pipes running throughout. Deep shadows hid the ghostly shapes of abandoned machinery and the moonlight barely penetrated the dirty windows. A single, bare lightbulb faintly illuminated a far corner where a young girl was tied to one of the exposed pipes. A menacing figure leaned threateningly over her.

Going by appearances alone, Sebastian Gabriel did not look like a man who abducted girls and sold them into sexual slavery. He did not look like a man who fed his own depraved sexual appetite with the girls he abducted - or anyone who might take his fancy. He looked like a meek and timid man who was better suited to a dead-end job in an office pushing papers around. Looks, though, could be deceiving and he’d used that to his advantage.

“If I didn’t have a buyer lined up for you, I’d have to take a sample to see what you’re like,” he whispered as he stroked the cheek of Deanna Willoughby. “The buyer doesn’t want used goods, though. He doesn’t like his toys to be played with before he plays with them, so I’ll have to save you. I’ll just have to wait for Standish to get here. I’ve been waiting for him for too long. Then...you’ll see...you’ll see all the fun we could have together.”

Deanna whimpered and shook her head. She tried to pull as far from Gabriel as she could, but the bindings didn’t give much room. “Please,” she begged.

“Please what? Please let you join in on the fun?” Gabriel started stroking her hair. “You are so beautiful. Maybe...maybe I’ll have to find someone else for the buyer and keep you for me. You and Standish would make such pretty toys. How would you like that?”

Again, Deanna whimpered and tried to get further away.

“He’ll be here soon, you know. I told him all the things I was going to do to you if he didn’t come. He’s too much of a knight in shining armor to let that happen. He’ll be here soon and then we’ll have so much fun.” He took a bandana from his pocked and stuffed it in Deanna’s mouth, tying it behind her head. “I can’t have you calling out to him. I need you to stay really quiet. You’ll see. We’ll have so much fun together...and then Standish will pay for what he did.”

**************

An hour after Nathan left in the bedroom, Ezra silently slipped through the sliding doors and out to the deck. Getting out of the cabin and to the agency car was both easier and more difficult than he expected it to be. It was easier in that there wasn’t the slightest hint that any of his teammates knew what was happening. It was harder in that navigating across the ground with only the light of the moon and one arm effectively tied down was more hazardous than he’d thought it would be. He made it to the car with only one mishap when he tripped on an unseen rock and had fell hard on his knees. It was difficult with only one arm to break his fall and push up from the ground.

Once he made it to the car, the next obstacle was starting it without anyone inside knowing. He hoped the car was far enough away from the cabin that the engine wouldn’t be too loud. He held his breath as he turned the engine over expecting to see the others come pouring out at the sound, but the porch remained dark and deserted.

He didn’t turn on the headlights as he made his way slowly up the dirt road that led to the cabin. Only when he was a safe distance away did he turn them on. He’d already programmed the GPS on his phone with the directions back to his condo. He’d slept in the car most of the ride from hospital and had no idea how long that had taken. According to the GPS, it should take about two and half hours to get to his condo. It wouldn’t take him long to get what he needed from there. He was familiar with the area where the factory where he was meeting Gabriel was located. It wouldn’t take much more than twenty to thirty minutes to drive to it. That would get him there just a little before midnight.

**************

"He’s gone,” Josiah bellowed as he came down the stairs from the bedrooms.

Once Nathan had come back down from changing the dressing, the six men had resumed their card game. It hadn’t felt the same without Ezra playing. For one thing, they were all winning more hands than they normally did.

They’d been playing for about ninety minutes when Josiah asked to be dealt out of the next hand so he could check on Ezra. After what he’d learned of the younger man’s past run-in with Sebastian Gabriel, he was sure he’d either have trouble sleeping or be plagued by nightmares. He wanted to be there for him if he felt the need to talk.

“What do you mean he’s gone,” Chris demanded as he threw his cards on the table. “Where could he go?”

“He’s not in the room, the doors leading to the deck are opened and it looks like the agency car is gone.”

“Sneaky bastard. That’s what he meant about it being perfect,” Vin said finally understanding what Ezra meant when they’d been outside earlier.

“What’s perfect?” Chris demanded. He felt like he was a step out of time and wasn’t liking it one bit.

“Earlier, when we were outside. He walked around the porch to the side of the cabin. When he saw the deck off the master bedroom, he said it was perfect. I knew he was planning something.”

“Yeah, but what?” Buck asked. “What’s he doing that he didn’t want us to know?”

“I bet it has something to do with Gabriel,” Vin suggested. He’s been tied up in knots about since I first mentioned him.

“Guys, you know how he said he was going to check on some leads,” JD ventured. “He really wasn’t in here long. What if he found something or knows where Gabriel is?”

“And took off on his own. Damn it. When is he going to learn he can’t just do that?” Chris got up from the table and started pacing. “How idiotic can he be? JD, you think you can figure out what he was doing?”

“Yeah. I’ll check the laptop and see if there’s anything there?” The other five followed JD into the office to see if he could work his magic.

“Just so we’re clear,” Chris nearly growled, “When we find him, I’m going to break his other arm, so he stays put.”

“He’ll still have two good legs,” Buck pointed out.

“I can arrange that as well.”

As soon as they reached the office, JD sat in the desk chair. Immediately, he noticed the screensaver on the laptop which immediately struck him as odd. For as long as he’d known Ezra, he’d never known him to leave a computer on when he was done using it for the day. He reached to jiggle the mouse and turn off the screensaver. “I think Ezra’s trying to tell us something,” he said as soon as he saw that Outlook was still open and have been left at the empty deleted items folder.

“I think Ezra’s trying to tell us something.”

“With what?” Buck asked. “Invisible ink.”

JD gave his friend and irritated look then turned back to the computer. “A couple of weeks ago, Ezra accidentally deleted that email the finance office sent us and then emptied his deleted items folder.

Nathan couldn’t hold back a snort. The email in question from the finance department had been about expense reports and padding them with non-business needs. He wondered how accidental Ezra’s deletion had been. He was treated to the same dirty look from JD.

“As I was saying. Ezra asked me if there was any way to get the email back and I showed how you can restore it.”

“And you think that’s why he left his email like that? As some kind of clue for you to restore whatever he deleted?” Chris asked.

“I do.” To prove his confidence, JD went through the steps necessary to restore emails that had been deleted. Once he had the list up, he started scanning through it. “Look,” he said pointing to one of the items.”

“Son of a bitch,” Chris exclaimed looking at email JD had pointed out. “He actually used his own name in the address.”

“And it came in today,” JD said as he restored the email. “He pointed to another one. Looks like Ezra emailed a copy of it to himself and then deleted the sent email as well. And here’s where he replied to Gabriel.” He restored both of those as well in the hopes they’d have useful information. Once that was done, he opened the email from Sebastian Gabriel so they could all read it.

“Son of a bitch,” Chris said repeating himself once he’d read it through. “He’s walking into a trap. When is he going to learn to trust us and tell us about these things?”

“Don’t think it’s just about trust, Chris,” Vin said. “Knowing Ezra, he was probably just thinking about that girl.

“I’m still going to break his other arm and microchip him,” Chris muttered. Louder he said, “What’s in the others, JD.”

JD opened first Ezra’s response to Gabriel. The information in that together with the one from Gabriel gave them both the time and location for the meet. He then opened the copy of the email Ezra had forwarded to his personal email. He expected the body to be just the forwarded copy of Gabriel’s email but, instead, he saw that it was addressed to Chris. “It’s for you.”

Chris leaned over JD so he could better see the email and started to read it.

_“Chris, if you’re reading this missive, then JD not only correctly interpreted the unwritten message that I left, but he’s also worked his usual computer magic and has restored the emails I’ve deleted._

_I’m sure, if you’re reading this, you’re also fuming and threatening to microchip me or fracture several of my appendages for “running off”. I want to assure you that I have not run off nor have I endeavored to keep you and the others from following me. I’ve only sought to delay that in order that Gabriel believe that I’ve followed his rules as he set them out._

_From the below, you’ll be able to glean the location where I’ll be meeting Gabriel. The time I’ve set up is midnight. I trust that will give you sufficient time arrive to extract me and the girl he’s abducted. However, if that’s not possible, please keep the wellbeing of Deanna uppermost in your mind. If my life must be sacrificed for her freedom, do not let my sacrifice be wasted._

_Now that the maudlin is out of the way, I’m not a fool and have no intention to meet Gabriel unarmed. My plan is to extract Deanna and myself from this...I hesitate to use the term man’s...clutches (with an able assist from you and the others). I will endeavor to keep my phone on my person. I understand that JD should be able to “ding” it in order to determine its location. Should Gabriel lure me to a different location, this should enable you to ascertain that location._

_Chris, and gentlemen since I’m sure you’re sharing this, I’m placing my trust in you that you’ll arrive in the nick of time as you so frequently do and affect our emancipation if I have not already done so. And should things go awry, and you are not able to do so, please know that it’s been my highest privilege to work with and to know all of you. A man could not ask for better teammates and friends....and, dare I say...brothers._

_EP Standish_

“Son of a bitch,” Chris said for the third time.

“I think we’ve covered that, and Ezra probably wouldn’t be too happy you keep calling his mother a bitch.”

Chris looked over to Buck. He didn’t have to say anything for his old friend to know that now was not the time for any of his jokes.

“Um, I think he meant ping his phone, not ding it,” JD said into the silence.

“Ping, ding. What does it matter? Just do it,” Chris ordered.

Luckily, the software JD needed to do so was on the laptop. It only took him a few moments to access it and pull up the location of Ezra’s phone. “He’s about an hour out of Denver.”

“So, he has at least a 90-minute lead on us. Damn it! Why didn’t any of us hear the car start up?”

“Because he’s smart,” Nathan answered. “He picked the one furthest from the cabin. And he got me to promise that we’d go back to the card game. He knew that would have us occupied and distracted.”

“Too smart for his own good,” Josiah pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Chris said. “He may have a ninety-minute head start but he’s not going directly to the meet location. He said he’s not going to go unarmed so he’ll have stop by his place to get his back up piece…unless any of you are missing your weapon.” Receiving negatives from the others, he continued, “That’ll slow him down a little but he’s still going to make it to the meet before we can catch up. JD, can you take that with you and keep a trace on his phone. He’s right that Gabriel might lure him somewhere else.”

Before Chris finished asking the question, JD was already disconnecting the laptop from the power cord. “It’s fully charged, and I can tie it in to the hot spot on my phone to keep the Wi-Fi connected.”

“Ok. What are we waiting for?” Chris asked rhetorically. “Let’s get a move on.”

**************

As he reached his condo, Ezra checked the clock on the dashboard. It was 11:15 which meant if he didn’t take more than 15 minutes to get what he needed, he should arrive at the factory with some time to spare.

He pulled the car into the driveway behind his Jag. He’d love to be able to trade vehicles for his own, but the agency car was automatic, and the Jag was standard. That made the agency car easier to drive one handed.

He got out of the car quickly and was soon in the condo. The first thing he did was get his back up weapon and ankle holster. Although it was tricky putting it on with one hand, he soon had it in place. With leg of his sweatpants over it, it wasn’t visible.

The next thing he did was rifle through the kitchen drawers until he found a roll of duct tape. After several false starts, he finally got a large sized piece torn off. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Chris. Once he’d done that, he pulled down his sweatpants and taped the phone to his thigh. It wasn’t the most comfortable but, once he’s pulled the sweatpants back up, the phone wasn’t noticeable. For once, he was grateful to be wearing sweatpants since the bagginess of them helped to conceal both the phone and gun.

With his preparations finished, he checked the clock on the microwave. It was just 11:30. He should get to the factory about 10 minutes before Gabriel expected him. Hopefully, that might give him a little time to scope the place out.

**************

Chris and the others were a little over an hour from Denver when his phone dinged with an incoming text message. He fished it out of his pocked and tossed it over to Vin. “See what it is.”

“It’s Ezra,” Vin said in shock when he saw who the text was from. He opened it and read the short message. “On my way…be there in 20…tell JD to keep dinging.”

“Text him back. Tell him to stay put.”

“Pinging,” JD muttered from the backseat where he was keeping a trace on Ezra’s cellphone. “Once this is over, remind me to tell him it’s pinging, not dinging.”

“Does it matter? Just keep doing it.” Chris looked over to Vin. “Did you send the text.”

“Just about there,” Vin replied as he finished and hit send. It was quiet in the car for a few moments as they waited to see if there’d be a reply from Ezra.

After five minutes with no answering text, Chris knew it was likely they wouldn’t be getting one. “Call Buck. Let him and the others know about Ezra’s text.” He looked at the dashboard clock and shook his head. “Damned fool. We’re not going to make it in time to stop him from going in.”

“We’ll get him out,” Vin said with all the confidence he could muster. “We’ll get ‘em both out. He’s counting on us.”

**************

The dashboard clock read 11:49 when Ezra pulled up at the abandoned factory. He took a minute to survey the building from the car before getting out. From his vantage point, all he could see were dark windows. There was nothing to give him any kind of hint of what he might be walking in to.

He rubbed his shoulder lightly. It had started aching as he drove over. He wished he could have pulled off the sling and immobilizer but the short time he’d been without it while Nathan changed the dressing was enough to know that not only would that be unwise, but impossible. The slightest movement of his shoulder without the support and it ached and throbbed. He’d be at just as much of a disadvantage as he was with his arm immobilized…maybe even a bigger disadvantage since the pain would have distracted him.

Pulling in a deep breath, he released the seatbelt and cautiously opened the door. He looked all around and not seeing anyone, got out of the car. He’d barely taken two steps when someone came out of the dark and shoved him against the car. His right arm was pulled behind his back and whoever it was leaned over him. “Boss said to make sure you didn’t try any funny stuff,” was hissed in his hear. He’d suspected Gabriel might have hired some muscle, but he’d hoped he was wrong on that count. With no other choice, he let the man manhandle him into the factory.

Once they were inside, Ezra could see a dimly lit corner on the other side of the floor. Walking toward him, backlit by the faint light was Sebastian Gabriel. Even without a clear view of his face, he knew that’s who it was.

“Right on time, Standish,” Gabriel said as he approached them. He snapped his fingers and more lights came on.

From that, Ezra deduced that Gabriel had at least one more hired muscle. As he got his first good look at Gabriel, he felt his mouth go dry. It was the face that haunted his nightmares. He’d know the watery blue eyes and thin, wispy brown hair anywhere. The only difference was that now there was a scar above Gabriel’s left eyebrow. “I see prison treated you well,” he forced out with as much bravado as he could while pointedly looking at the scar.

Gabriel rubbed his thumb over the scar and smiled demonically. “This is just one of the many things you’ll be paying for.” He then rubbed his knuckles down Ezra’s cheek. “It’ll be a shame to scar this face, though.”

Ezra flinched back from Gabriel’s touch. “I’m here. Where’s the girl? That’s the deal.”

“Deal’s changed,” Gabriel said as he continued stroking his knuckles up and down Ezra’s cheek. “I don’t want to disappoint my customers and I’ve got a buyer lined up for her already. But don’t worry. I’ll let you see her.” He pulled his hand away from Ezra’s face and gestured for the goon who still had a hold of him to bring him to the corner of the factory where Deanna was kept.

“I brought you company,” Gabriel sing-songed to Deanna when they were closer to her. “He’s a beautiful toy, isn’t he? He’s got the prettiest green eyes.” He reached down and slapped his hand across Ezra’s butt. “And the nicest ass I’ve ever seen. We are going to have so much fun. I just need to attend to some business first.” He pointed to a pipe along the wall were Deanna was. “Tie him up there then I want you and Dave outside just in case any of his friends show up. And Rob, they don’t need to stay alive if they do.”

Ezra was roughly pushed down to the floor then his right warm was pulled up and tied to the pipe. Once he was secured, Rob left.

Gabriel came closer only when he knew Ezra couldn’t get to him. “I was really sorry to hear you were in the hospital.” He reached out and grasped Ezra’s left shoulder squeezing tightly. “I hope it’s not hurting too much,” he said with false sincerity.

As Gabriel’s hold tightened, Ezra gasped in pain. He could feel tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. When the hold was finally released, he pulled in quick, gasping breaths. “Bastard,” he forced out.

“He’s supposed to be your hero,” Gabriel said to Deanna. “Doesn’t look to heroic now, does he?” He reached to untie her from the pipe she’d been secured to. When he did, she tried to pull away from him. “Now, now. The buyer wants some pictures. He wants to see what he’s getting. Be a good toy and cooperate.”

“You got Standish. I want my money,” a figure said as it came into the light.

“Nicholas?!” Ezra exclaimed when he got was able to see who it was. “What are you doing?”

Mahon knelt next to Ezra. “What am I doing? I’m making sure this time you’re gone. Since those rumors weren’t enough to finish you, I thought I’d let Sebastian here have you…and I get a nice little nest egg for it.”

Ezra’s mind was running in a million different directions trying to figure out how Mahon was involved. “Why?”

“Why? Things were going just fine for me until you showed up in Atlanta. Then you became the golden boy. You were Mr. Perfect. If you’d stayed with white collar in New York things would have been fine. I got tired of competing with you. I got tired of how close you’d come to figuring out what I was doing. That’s why?”

“Figuring out?” It took a moment for him to puzzle it out but, when Ezra did, it was like a light had been turned on in a dark room. “Everything I was accused of…you were doing it? You were taking the bribes and looking the other way.”

“I had some sweet deals set up and you started shutting them all down and getting too close. I don’t know how you weaseled out of the trap I set for you and got those ATF morons to trust you. This’ll just be a more permanent ending.” He got back to his feet and turned to face Gabriel. “You got him. Now pay me.”

“I’ve got your payment right here,” Gabriel said with the same demonic smile he’d given Ezra earlier. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a gun, and shot Mahon point blank in the face before anyone realized what was happening. Mahon was dead before he hit the floor.

As the echo of the shot died away, Deanna could be heard whimpering through the gag. Ezra looked in shock between Mahon’s body and Gabriel. Even with Mahon admitting what he’d done, he was still having trouble wrapping his mind around it. And now, the man was dead.

“Damn it,” Gabriel complained as he prodded Mahon with this foot. “Now I need to get Rob or Dave to haul the trash out before I can play.” He knelt in front of Ezra, careful to avoid the pool of blood. “Don’t worry, Toy. I won’t be gone long.”

He knew he should keep his mouth shut. He knew nothing he could say could improve the situation, but it was almost as if his mouth had its own mind and heard himself saying, “I’ll try really hard not to miss you. It should be easy.”

Fast as lightening, Gabriel lashed out and backhanded Ezra across the face. “That’s not nice. Not nice at all.”

Ezra was stunned by the blow across the face as well as the back of his head hitting the wall. He shook his head slightly to try to feel the cobwebs and could feel blood trickling from where the blow had split his lip. He tried to pull away as Gabriel reached out to dab at the blood.

“See what you made me do. You need to behave.” He pulled his hand away from Ezra’s face and looked at the blood on his fingertips for a moment before bringing them to his mouth.

Ezra’s face wrinkled in disgust as Gabriel licked his blood from his fingers. He wasn’t prepared when Gabriel darted forward, first licking the blood from his lip then trying to force him into a kiss.

“I just needed a little taste,” Gabriel said as he pulled back. “I need to go get the trash taken care of then we’ll have lots of fun.” He got to his feet and, without saying anything else, disappeared into the shadows.

Ezra waited until he was sure Gabriel was gone before turning to Deanna. He could see the girl was frightened but, right now, them getting away rested with her. Either Gabriel thought she was too cowed to run, or he forgot that he’d untied her. Either way, right now, she was free. “Deanna, I need you to listen to me,” he said as gently as he could but also with some authority to get through to her. “My name is Ezra Standish and I’m an agent with the ATF…it’s like the police,” he explained at her puzzled look. “You’re still untied, right?”

It was only at his question that the remembered that she was lose. She slowly nodded her head as she reached to until the gag still in her mouth.

“I need you to untie me. Can you do that?”

She looked around fearfully. “What if he comes back,” she asked in a quavering voice.

“I know you’re frightened, darlin’, but I’m going to do everything I can to get you out of here. You just have to trust me. Can you do that?”

She nodded at him tentatively then moved closer so she could until him the from the pipe. “Now what?” she asked once she had him lose.

“Now, I need you to run and find a place to hide.”

“What about you? Aren’t you going to come?”

“I’ll stay here and make sure he doesn’t come after you,” Ezra reassured her. In truth, he was still feeling dazed from his head hitting the wall and didn’t think he’d be able to get far without dizziness overtaking him. “You need to find somewhere to hide and you stay there and stay as quiet as a mouse until I come for you. Do you hear me?”

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“I know. I need you to be brave. The men I work with are coming and they’re going to get us out of here but until then, I need you to hide.”

“Ok,” Deanna agreed and got up. Before she moved away, Ezra called her back.

“Wait a second. You need to stay hidden until I come for you or one of my coworkers. I want you to memorize their names.” Slowly he began to recite the names of the others, “Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner, Buck Wilmington, JD Dunne, Nathan Jackson and Josiah Sanchez.” He repeated them again them again then asked her to recite them back. “Now, go on. Find someplace to hide,” he told her when she correctly repeated back the other members of Team Seven. “It’ll be ok,” he reassured her when she hesitated. Finally, she got up and started to move away from him. Purposefully, Ezra closed his eyes so he wouldn’t know which way she went. This way, he wouldn’t inadvertently give her location away by looking in that direction when Gabriel demanded to know where she was.

Once he could no longer hear her, he opened his and tried to get to his feet. As he suspected, his equilibrium was thrown off from the hit to the head. He reached behind and gingerly touched where his head hurt the worst. His fingers came away tacky and it felt like there was a goose egg on his head. “Damn it,” he hissed.

A few minutes later, he heard footsteps approaching. He quickly put his hand up to the pipe it had been tied to. He hoped, in the dim light, Gabriel wouldn’t be able to see he was loose.

“Get rid of it,” Gabriel said to which one of his goons he’d brought with him. It wasn’t until Mahon’s body was being dragged off that he noticed Deanna was missing. “Where is she? Where’d my little toy go?” he demanded of Ezra.

Ezra made of show of looking over to where Deanna had been. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t screw with me.” Gabriel leaned down and grabbed Ezra’s face. “Where is she? I know she’s hiding. Tell me where.”

“I don’t know where she is. Maybe you should do a better job of keeping track of your toys. Didn’t your mother ever tell you that?” Ezra taunted. He wanted to keep Gabriel’s attention on him instead of looking for Deanna and buy as much time as possible for the others to arrive.

“Damn you. I’m going to teach you a lesson.”

As Gabriel reached from him again, Ezra kicked out at him. He managed to clip him on the chin. He took that as his opportunity to try for his own escape. He pushed up unsteadily and started to run. He didn’t get too far before Gabriel caught up with.

“We were going to have fun but now you’re just going to suffer,” Gabriel yelled as he grabbed Ezra around the waist. He slammed him face first against one of the pieces of machinery still in the factory. Grabbing him by the hair, he slammed the side of his face into the machine repeatedly.

Ezra did his best to fight back kicking backwards an impacting with Gabriel’s knee. Instead of releasing him, though, it seemed to enrage him. He used his hold on the back of Ezra’s hair to slam him face first in the machine two more times before Ezra stopped fighting back. He released his hold and let his captive slump to the ground.

As his knees hit the floor, Ezra knew he’d bought himself all the time he was going to. His hand started to inch toward his gun that was still holstered to his ankle. It was just sheer luck…and stupidity and arrogance on Gabriel’s part…that he hadn’t been searched and he weapon taken from him. He’d hoped to be able to get away from Gabriel. He knew, hampered by his shoulder, and now with the repeated hits to the head, he’d be no match in close quarters. Now, he had no choice. He’d just grasped his weapon when he heard a gunshot from outside. 

The gunshot distracted Gabriel just long enough for Ezra to crawl under the machine and out the other side of it. He knew he wouldn’t get far, though. The dizziness from when the back of his head had been slammed against the wall had doubled from his face being slammed into the machine and he could feel blood trickling down the side of his face. But they’d come. He just had to hold Gabriel off long enough for the others to get inside. He knew they wouldn’t let him down.


	12. Chapter 12

They were about ten minutes away from the factory where Ezra was meeting Gabriel. Keeping to the speed limit hadn’t been at the top of either Chris’s or Buck’s agenda as they drove down the highway. Getting to their friend in time had been their only real thought.

“Any movement,” Chris asked JD.

“His phone’s still in place. Either Gabriel didn’t take him somewhere else or he found Ezra’s phone and left it behind.”

“Let’s hope it’s the first option. Vin, get on the phone with the local LEO’s. Make sure they’re going to meet us there and they know not to go in until we arrive.”

“Sure thing. Uh…shouldn’t we get in touch with Mahon as well?”

“No. Someone tipped Gabriel off in the past about Ezra. I don’t trust Mahon. It seems just a little to coincidental that it’s right after he found out that Ezra wasn’t in the hospital that Gabriel sent that email. There’s a leak somewhere and right now, dollars to doughnuts, I’m betting that leak’s Mahon.”

They arrived at the factory before the local police did. “Should we wait?” Vina asked.

Chris was torn. If they waited for the locals to arrive, they’d have manpower. He just wasn’t sure Ezra had that much time. “No. We go in now and we get them both out. Call Buck and let him know.”

As Chris pulled into the parking lot of the factory, JD put the laptop he’d been using aside. “Looks abandoned,” he observed.

Chris killed the engine and pulled his weapon from his holster. “Looks can be deceiving. Let’s be smart about this.”

The three men got out of the car, keeping the doors open to offer them some coverage. Buck had stopped his truck close by and he, Nathan, and Josiah did the same as they got out.

“How do you want to do this?” Vin asked.

“Slow and steady. We get in there, find Ezra and the girl and get the hell out.” He looked over to Nathan and Josiah where they were crouched down. “You two stay here and keep us covered. If Ezra’s right, Gabriel probably has some hired help.”

Chris, Vin, Buck and JD fanned out and, keeping low, started to make their way to the factory entrance. They didn’t get far when shots rang out. The four of them quickly returned to the relative safety of the vehicles. “Anyone see where it came from?’ Chris asked.

“There and there,” Josiah answered pointing where he’d seen muzzle flashes.

“Buck, JD, you take that one. Vin and I will get the guy on the left.” Keeping to the shadows, the four moved in the indicated directions until they could make out the dim shapes of Gabriel’s hired help. “Can you take him?” Chris asked Vin.

“Like lickin’ butter off a knife. Fool doesn’t realize with the full moon he’s visible where he is.” Steadying himself, Vin took aim and fired two shots. He and Chris watched as the figure crumpled.

“One down. Who knows how many to go?”

**************

As gunshots kept ringing outside, Ezra ran as far as he could from Gabriel hoping he’d find somewhere he could hide until the others got inside. In the dim light, he didn’t see a piece of machinery looming in front of him until his right shoulder glanced off it. The hit was enough to upset his already perilous balance and he slammed to the floor. It was sheer determination on his part that he didn’t lose his hold on his gun.

He lay on the floor trying to get his breathing under control. It sounded like a freight train to his ears and he was afraid it would give his position away to Gabriel. It also made it hard for him to track where Gabriel might be as it drowned out any footsteps.

He pulled himself to sit with his back braced against whatever it was that he’d run into. He pulled his legs up and leaned his forehead against his knees as he willed his breathing to slow. His left shoulder felt as if someone had poured molten metal on it since Gabriel had grabbed it. He could feel a trickle of moisture but wasn’t sure if it was sweat or blood. He thought there was a good chance the incision may have opened.

His head spun with dizziness from both the hits he’d taken as well as general unwellness. He was fluctuating between shivering one second and feeling like he was burning up the next. He knew he was in trouble.

His brief respite ended when he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He used the machine he leaned against to pull himself to his feet ready to run again. He just didn’t know which way to go. He took a hesitant step and ended up hitting his left shoulder this time. He wasn’t able to hold back a gasp as the pain ramped up.

“Is that you, Toy,” Gabriel called out. “I’m coming for you. You won’t get away that easily. My men outside will take care of your little friends so don’t even think they’ll be coming in to spoil our fun.”

He was up again and his time, as he ran, it was his own feet that tripped Ezra up and he slammed to the floor. He let out a yelp as pain jarred all through his left arm and shoulder. By the time he pulled himself to his feet again, Gabriel was there. “You’re not looking so good, Toy,” he taunted. “Maybe you should stay right where you are.”

Ezra was not going to let Gabriel get the upper hand. He lashed out with his foot catching the other man across the kneecap. Unlike the last time he’d kicked at his knee, this time Gabriel went down.

Swaying, Ezra got to his feet. He was caught off guard when lights went on. The distraction was enough for Gabriel to get to his feet and throw himself at Ezra. Somehow, Ezra was able to dodge out of the way and, instead of knocking Ezra over, Gabriel hit the same piece of machinery and fell to the floor stunned.

Ezra still clutched his weapon in his right hand, and he pointed it at Gabriel. It was going to end now. “I. Am. Not. Your. Toy.” he gritted out.

**************

Once the two men outside were dealt with, Chris and the others made their way cautiously into the abandoned factory. The local police had also arrived and joined them.

“We need to get lights on in here,” Chris said once they were inside. Dim light from the full moon came through windows set high and lights turned on in one corner did little to illuminate the rest of the building.

“I’ve got a floor plan from the owner,” one of the local police officers said. “There’s still electricity coming into the building. I’ll get the lights turned on.”

“Pair up and start looking,” Chris directed. “And be careful. We don’t know how much hired help Gabriel has. Keep in radio contact.” Receiving affirmatives, Chris and Vin set out in the direction the only current source of light was coming from. They found that the factory floor was a maze of machinery and boxes.

“Stop,” Vin said when they were just outside the light. “You hear that?”

“Sounds like someone talking,” Chris said after a moment.

“It’s coming from the right,” Vin said as he started to lead Chris in that direction. As the two hurried in the direction the voice was coming from, the lights suddenly went on. In front of them, they were able to see Ezra and then another figure launch itself at Ezra. Even though Ezra looked shaky on his feet, he was still able to dodge the body coming at him. They hurried their steps when the person hit the machine behind Ezra and fell to the ground. They saw their friend hold a gun on, who they guessed, was Sebastian Gabriel. They reached them just as Ezra declared, “I. Am. Not. Your. Toy.”

“Ezra,” Chris called as he and Vin stopped near the men. He was close enough to reach out and take the gun from Ezra but held back. He pulled in a quick breath when Ezra looked up in his direction and he saw the blood that slicked one side of his face. He could see his friend’s finger tightening on the trigger. “You don’t want to do that, Ezra.”

“Why?” Ezra demanded. “He deserves it and not just for what he’s done to me. Tell me why I shouldn’t.”

Chris was distracted when Buck’s voice came over the radio earpiece alerting that he and JD had found the body of Nick Mahon.

“You’re not a killer,” Vin picked up for Chris. “He might be, but you’re not. We’ve got him. Let the law do its work.”

This time, Ezra flicked his gaze in Vin’s direction. “Yes, the law,” he said with an almost hysterical laugh. “It did such a wonderful job the last time. Let’s see what it can do this time.”

“It’s not going to happen this time, Ez. You gotta trust us. This time, it’s going to go by the book. This scum isn’t going to see daylight ever again.” Vin held out his hand but didn’t take the gun. It had to be Ezra’s choice.

“Ezra,” Chris called. He could see how unstable his friend was on his feet. He wanted to end this and get him the medical help he needed. Like Vin, though, he didn’t want to take the choice away. He knew this was something Ezra had to do for himself. “Please, trust us. I know you haven’t always had someone willing to watch your back. You’ve got that this time. Let us help you. We won’t let you down. But, if you do this...if you pull that trigger and kill him, you won’t be able to live with yourself. I know you, Ezra. You’re a good man and his death will eat you up.”

Ezra’s hand shook but he still kept his aim at Gabriel’s head. Wisely, the man hadn’t said anything.

Ezra looked over to Chris again and Chris could see the internal battle he was waging with himself in his eyes. He also held out his hand and uttered one, soft word. “Please.”

“I’m tired, Mr. Larabee.”

“I know you are, Ezra. Just...just let us take care of this. I promise you; he will never be able to hurt you again.”

“Ok,” Ezra said in little more than a whisper as he dropped his arm to his side.

As Ezra put his arm down, Chris moved in closer to him. He took the gun from his now lax hand and wrapped a supporting arm around his waist. “Take care of that scum,” he told Vin then keyed the radio to tell the others that they’d located Ezra and Gabriel. He almost wasn’t prepared when Ezra’s knees buckled. He barely managed to lower him to the floor gently, so he was sitting with Ezra leaning against him. Keying the radio again, he told Nathan Ezra needed medical attention then gave him directions to where they were in the building.

“Where’s Deanna,” Chris asked once he’d made the call to Nathan. “Is she here?”

Ezra weakly nodded. “He untied her. I told her to run and hide and only come out if it were me or one of you. I made her memorize your names.”

“Do you know where she’s hiding?” Vin asked. By now, he had handcuffed Gabriel who was lying face down on the floor with one of Vin’s knees pressing against his lower back to keep him in place.

“No. I didn’t want to know so I couldn’t compromise her hiding spot.”

“Ok. We’ll find her.” Chris waved Nathan over as he approached them. “Looks like he hit his head and he’s hot to the touch.”

Nathan rested his hand lightly on Ezra’s cheek. “No arguing this time. You definitely have a fever. How’s your shoulder feeling.”

“Um...it’s quite tender. I believe the incision may have opened.”

Nathan shook his head slightly. “You’re a mess, you know that,” he said good-naturedly. “There anything I can’t see?”

For a moment Ezra thought about not mentioning the bump on the back of his head but figured it would just be discovered anyway. “He tried to force the back of my head into the wall.”

As he saw the others approaching, Chris gestured Vin to take over for him supporting Ezra. He told Buck, JD, and Josiah what he knew about Deanna hiding. “We’re going to look for Deanna. Ezra, you do exactly what Nathan tells you to. You understand.” He waited until he got a shallow nod from Ezra before he and the other three split up to look for Deanna.

“You doing ok?” Nathan asked Ezra as he accepted a first aid kit from one of the policemen.

“I feel a bit chilled,” Ezra replied as a shiver went through him.

Nathan shrugged out of his coat and wrapped it around the injured man. He pulled him forward slightly and gently prodded at the bump on the back of his head then pushed him back to lean against Vin. He pulled a penlight from his pocket and used it to check Ezra’s pupil response. “Probably have a concussion to go with that fever.” He ripped open a gauze pad from the first aid kit and placed it over the laceration on the right side of Ezra’s forehead. “Sorry,” he said when Ezra winced. “Vin, I need you to hold that in place for a second.”

As Nathan cut lengths of tape, Ezra watched him with glassy eyes. “Mahon was the leak,” he said after a moment. “Gabriel killed him. He hated me.”

Neither Vin nor Nathan knew which man Ezra meant. “We found the body,” Nathan told him as he taped the gauze in place.

“Chris had a bad feeling about him,” Vin added.

“Don’t think anyone ever had a good feeling about him,” Ezra said. He leaned back further into the support Vin was providing. “I’m tired.” His eyes started to flutter closed. “Just want to take a nap.”

Nathan patted the unbruised cheek. “Not right now, Ezra. I know you’re tired, but I want you to stay awake for now.”

“Very well,” Ezra said in a put-upon tone although his eyes stayed at half-mast. He soon lost track of time as Nathan patched him up. He was startled from the daze he’d fallen into when he heard Chris’s voice again.

“Hey, Ezra. Got someone here who wanted to see you.”

Ezra forced his eyes to open fully and looked in Chris’s direction. “Deanna? Are you ok, darlin’?”

Deanna knelt next to him and reached for his hand. “I’m ok, Mr. Standish. I did like you said and hid. I didn’t come out until this man said his name was Chris Larabee. Are you going to be ok?” she asked in a quavering voice as she took in the blood still on his face.

“Don’t you worry. Mr. Jackson here is going to fix me up and I’m going to be right as rain in no time at all.” When she continued to look at him with worried eyes, he gently pulled his hand from hers and brushed her cheek. “I promise. I’m going to be just fine.” He saw a police officer hovering behind them. “I bet that officer is waiting to take you to your parents.” He caught the nod from the officer. “You go with him and I’ll see you later.”

Deanna looked over her shoulder at the police officer then back to Ezra. “Ok, Mr. Standish.” She darted forward and quickly kissed him on the uninjured cheek. “Thank you for finding me,” she said hurriedly then got up to go with the waiting police officer.

“Think you’ve got an admirer there,” Vin joked when Deanna was out of hearing. When Ezra groaned in pain, he tightened his hold on him. “Easy, easy. We’ll get you to the hospital and fixed up in no time.”

Despite Nathan chiding him to stay awake, Ezra’s eyes fell closed as he lost consciousness. “Nathan?” Chris asked in concern when the team medic couldn’t rouse the injured man.

“I don’t know, Chris. He’s got at least a concussion from the hits to the head and he’s definitely running a fever.” As he spoke, EMT’s approached with a gurney. It didn’t take long for them to move Ezra to it and out the waiting ambulance. “I’ll ride with him,” Nathan said as he climbed in the back of the ambulance.

**************

It was several hours later when Chris and the others finally made it to the hospital. After the ambulance left with Ezra and Nathan, they’d stayed to secure the scene and to make sure everything was done by the book. Chris had threatened everyone in hearing distance that if all the I’s weren’t dotted and all the T’s crossed and anything happened to overturn a conviction, they’d have to answer to him. There was no way he or the others would let Sebastian Gabriel walk again.

Nathan was sitting in the waiting room when they got there. “Any word yet?” Josiah asked as he sat next to Nathan.

“Nothing yet.” He came to in the ambulance for a bit, but he was disoriented.

“I’ll find out what’s going on,” Chris said as he started to walk towards the admission desk. He stopped when heard a voice calling out for him and saw a doctor coming towards them. “Dr. Masters,” he greeted as he walked toward the man. “Can you tell us how Ezra is.”

“I was just coming out to do that. Why don’t we go sit over there,” he said as he pointed to a quiet corner of the waiting room. Once they were all seated, he began, “Ezra’s going to be just fine. He’s just going to need a little time. He does have a concussion and extensive bruising along one side of his face. It also took six stitches to close the laceration on the side of his head and another four in the one on the back. The incision from the surgery was broken open. He did have some blood loss from that but it’s not serious. Right now, the worst is that he does have an infection. It could have started before the incision opened or it could be from that. Hhe’s being given a unit of blood to counter the blood loss and I’ve got him on a broad-spectrum antibiotic. He is going to have to be our guest for a couple of days at least.”

“What about his shoulder. Is there any setback to the surgery?” Nathan asked.

“Miraculously, there’s no further injury to the shoulder beyond the incision opening. Once he’s over the infection and the effects of the concussion, there’s no reason his recovery can’t go on as it would have without this little bump.”

“So, he’s going to be ok,” Chris voiced for the other five.

“Given a little time, yes.”

“Can we see him,” Josiah asked.

“They’re settling him in his room right now. Once that’s done, someone will be back to take you to his room. It’s likely he’ll be sleeping. Both the concussion and the infection are going to keep him down and I don’t want him disturbed. You can look in on him for a little while. After that, I’d like you gentlemen to go home. Ezra will need his sleep and you also need rest. Now, if there are no other questions.” Dr. Masters waited but when there were no other questions, he got up. “I’ll be in later to check on Ezra but if you have any concerns before then, have me paged.”

It was another fifteen minutes before a nurse came and brought them to Ezra’s room. “He’s been in and out,” she warned them. “Don’t expect him to very lucid.”

“We just want to look in on him, ma’am. We’re not going to wake him if he’s asleep,” JD reassured.

The six men practically tiptoed through the door and stopped as a group at the foot of the bed. The blood had been cleaned for Ezra’s face and the bruising was now very visible stretching from his forehead down to his chin. A gauze pad was taped over the stitches that had closed the laceration on the side of his head. An IV dripped medicine into his right arm and another in the back of his left hand dripped the transfusion Dr. Master’s had told them about. Around the bruising, his cheeks were flushed with fever. Despite it all, he did appear to be resting comfortably.

Vin took a hesitant step closer to the head of the bed. When he did, he could see the chain that held the St. Matthew medal wasn’t around his neck. He pulled open the drawer on the night table and looked to see if Ezra’s personal belongings had been left there. He found his wallet and phone, still covered with duct tape. He held it up for the others to see. “He must have taped it to himself.” Putting it back in the drawer, he located the St. Matthew medal. He pulled it out of the drawer and, trying not wake Ezra, put it back around his neck. “He feels better with it on,” he explained to the others. “And don’t you razz him about it.”

Ezra picked that moment to open his eyes and look at Vin. “Thought we were keeping this a secret, Vin. Have you told them ‘bout your bear?” he asked in a groggy voice.

“Don’t care if they know about Mama’s teddy bear in my bedroom any more than you should care if they know you like to keep your daddy’s medal close to you.” Vin looked defiantly at the others daring them to say something.

“I have the quilt my Mom made me on my bed,” JD offered.

“I think we all have something we hold near and dear,” Josiah offered. He moved to the other side of the bed from Vin. “How are you feeling, son?”

“I’ll be fine,” Ezra answered with a ghost of his usual smile. “Right as rain.”

“We know you will,” Chris agreed. “And we’re all going to make sure of it.”

Ezra looked from friend to friend. “I know you will gentlemen, just like I knew you’d be there when I needed you to extricate me from Gabriel’s clutches. Am I correct in assuming he’s being dealt with?”

“By the book,” Chris assured. “And once the bastard’s found guilty, I personally plan on building a prison over him. We also know about Mahon. The FBI’s doing some digging and, well, they’ve already found a whole mess of stuff he was in to.”

Ezra shook his head slightly. “And Deanna? Has she been reunited with her family?”

“She has.” Chris reached and clasped Ezra’s hand. “You done good, Ezra. But the next time you run off on your own like that and leave us puzzle pieces to put together, I’m going to…

“Break my legs and microchip me,” Ezra finished for him. “You do realize you’ve threatened me with that several times already and you’ll threaten me with it again next time. And don’t say there isn’t going to be a next time because we all know there will be.” He tried to stifle a yawn but was unsuccessful. “I beg your pardon gentleman. I believe I may fall back to sleep quite soon. I just wanted to thank you for the timely rescue. I know it may have seemed like I ran off on my own, but I knew you’d all be following behind. I was counting on it, in fact. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since being with you gentlemen, it’s that I can count on you to have my back. I meant what I said in the email. I’m honored to call you my friends.”

“It goes both ways, Ezra. It goes both ways.” Chris watched as his friend struggled to keep his eyes open. “Close your eyes and rest. We’ll be here for you.”

“I know,” Ezra murmured as he gave in to sleep.

Despite what Dr. Masters had said, the men all found places to settle around the room. If any bogeymen came to visit Ezra while he slept, they’d all be there to chase it away. It’s what teammates, friends, and family did.


End file.
